LOS ANGELES - Farmers Field (72,000)

[bd popeye]

Do you fellows really think a downtown stadium would work in LA? I can just imagine the traffic if there's a Monday night game with a 5:30pm kickoff.. Brutal..

The stadiums are beautiful but will the infrastructure in downtown LA handle a crowd of 70,000? I don't know? What do you guys think?

[Franchise646]

Yeah Sure.

[KingmanIII]

Originally Posted by RMB2007

The Gensler proposal is the one I'd go with too. Don't get me wrong, as the proposal by HKS looks 'interesting', but the renders let it down badly. Looks to me like HKS have spent all of 5 minutes putting those renders together. Lastly, HNTB's just seems a tad basic. I certainly think Los Angeles deserves something better than that.

I somewhat agree. The HKS plan is a little too abstract for my tastes. Looks like a design that would be scaled down several times over to meet budget constraints, to where it would no longer feature the elements for which people might've selected it in the first place. I like the HNTB design, how it maximizes the available footprint in a very well-self-contained structure, but it's a little too "boxy" and doesn't exude that definitive glitz and glamour of LaLaLand. The Gensler plan puts it all together, a perfect synchronicity of left-brain practicality and right-brain spontaneity. They showed a lot of promise with the Coliseum proposal, and followed through on it to the fullest with this one.

[carnifex2005]

Originally Posted by bd popeye

Do you fellows really think a downtown stadium would work in LA? I can just imagine the traffic if there's a Monday night game with a 5:30pm kickoff.. Brutal..

The stadiums are beautiful but will the infrastructure in downtown LA handle a crowd of 70,000? I don't know? What do you guys think?

Monday night games are pretty rare and the Lakers have no problem with mid-week night games. They'll figure it out. Traffic won't be an issue on Sunday's when the grand majority of the games will be played.

[LosAngelesSportsFan]

Originally Posted by carnifex2005

Monday night games are pretty rare and the Lakers have no problem with mid-week night games. They'll figure it out. Traffic won't be an issue on Sunday's when the grand majority of the games will be played.

also, by the time this project is completed, LA will have at least two new rail lines, and possibly 3 more.

There will be trains to Long Beach, Pasadena (and beyond), Hollywood, the Valley, Santa Monica, South LA, East LA, Koreatown, and thats just the MTA. add in metrolink, and i think 20% min would be coming to games on transit.

[slipperydog]

Sorry guys, I just don't see it with Gensler. It has a nice sunset, a weird looking roof, and a random oval thing in the endzone. It's not awful, but I still fail to see what's so amazing about it.

[nomarandlee]

I know people will have their preferences but really anyone of them would do L.A. proud and be one of the very best stadiums in the league. That said I also like the Gensler proposal the best though there isn't enough of HKS shown to make a determination. The HNTB is a proposal I think the locals could very proud of.

[GaForce]

Originally Posted by slipperydog

Sorry guys, I just don't see it with Gensler. It has a nice sunset, a weird looking roof, and a random oval thing in the endzone. It's not awful, but I still fail to see what's so amazing about it.

I'm pretty sure after some modifications, the design will change if it is chosen. I happen to like the roof design and the shapes. But everyone has their preferences. It has a more streamlined look than the other 2 designs. The last one looks very "Boxy" to me. But that's just me...

[RMB2007]

The Gensler proposal seems to be getting the thumbs up on here, and you can certainly see why.

[krudmonk]

That's certainly a strange formation. I don't foresee much success with playcalling like that.

[Franchise646]

The Architect's Newspaper likes the Gensler design.

http://www.archpaper.com/e-board_rev.asp?News_ID=5066

[Pelt]

With the obvious exception of the roof, this reminds me quite a bit of Lucas Oil.

[Archbishop]

Originally Posted by Pelt

With the obvious exception of the roof, this reminds me quite a bit of Lucas Oil.

That was my first thought as well. Seating bowl looks the same and those screens in the corner.

[soup or man]

Originally Posted by bd popeye

Do you fellows really think a downtown stadium would work in LA? I can just imagine the traffic if there's a Monday night game with a 5:30pm kickoff.. Brutal..

The stadiums are beautiful but will the infrastructure in downtown LA handle a crowd of 70,000? I don't know? What do you guys think?

I don't see why not. If other cities can have stadiums in their downtowns, I don't see why Los Angeles should be any different.

[Western87]

The gensler proposal is the best, though I'm not to crazy about the giant oval, but it will grow on me. Now from the sketch i'm wondering how the retractable roof will work because there is no sketch of the closed stadium

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by slipperydog

Sorry guys, I just don't see it with Gensler. It has a nice sunset, a weird looking roof, and a random oval thing in the endzone. It's not awful, but I still fail to see what's so amazing about it.

Its probably the clear roof. Tell me where you've see that. The random oval is a retractable window I'm guessing, and if you look closely at the aerial, its on both ends. To see a place with that much glass, just judging from Cowboys Stadium, would be amazing and feel like you're outdoors.

[Topher51]

Originally Posted by rantanamo

Its probably the clear roof. Tell me where you've see that. The random oval is a retractable window I'm guessing, and if you look closely at the aerial, its on both ends. To see a place with that much glass, just judging from Cowboys Stadium, would be amazing and feel like you're outdoors.

It almost looks like the oval doubles as the track for a flexible, retractable system that closes from the sidelines and meets in the middle.

Is it just me, or do the stands look really far back from the playing field?

[rantanamo]

Originally Posted by Topher51

It almost looks like the oval doubles as the track for a flexible, retractable system that closes from the sidelines and meets in the middle.

Is it just me, or do the stands look really far back from the playing field?

Yes, that's the type of system I was thinking of. Smaller version of the Cowboys Stadium glass doors. But up high like the one at Lucas Oil.

The NFL mandates the minimum distance from the sidelines and coaches box. Looks like there are Cowboys Stadium style ground level suites as well. This setup works well at Cowboys Stadium and would allow a soccer field.

[Franchise646]

Forbes money


http://blogs.forbes.com/sportsmoney/...hannelsections

Downtown LA Tops City of Industry as Ideal Site for New Football Stadium

On Wednesday, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) revealed architectural renderings from 3 design firms of the company’s proposed events center in downtown L.A. that would include a brand new football stadium.

And with stadium structures collapsing in Minnesota, stadium construction plans stalling in San Diego, stadium quality fading in St Louis, and fan interest waning in Jacksonville, one realizes that the time for pro football’s return to Los Angeles may be closer than we think.

There are currently 2 competing proposals to build a new football stadium in the Greater Los Angeles area. Billionaire developer Ed Roski of Majestic Realty wants to build the NFL’s first certified LEED stadium (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) in the City of Industry which is located approximately 22 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

Conversely, AEG is proposing a new stadium which would essentially be located right in the heart of downtown Los Angeles right next to Staples Center and LA Live. Their team is led by AEG President & CEO Tim Leiweke, AEG Real Estate Development Exec VP Ted Tanner, and Tim Romani who is President & CEO of Icon Venue Group and the event center’s project manager.

Now the purpose of this piece is not to handicap the race and to assess the pros and cons of each proposal. I’m not an environmental expert nor am I an expert on California laws.

And like many of my academic colleagues, I do believe that the NET economic benefits of building new sports and entertainment facilities upon cities/regions tend to be overstated…especially when the majority of the funding for such projects comes from the public sector.

Now that said, and without going into rigorous detail, it appears that both the Roski and AEG bids aim to minimize the public dollars at play. If true and the closer the public’s contribution towards facility financing is $0, then I believe the net economic benefits of either project would likely be positive.

But judging solely on the merit of which project stands to boost LA’s profile as a destination city for other sporting events, tourism, convention business, and the like, there is no question that the events center and football stadium should be placed in downtown LA rather than the City of Industry.

Event rights holders and convention planners want to hold their events and conventions in top flight facilities that are located conveniently in relation to major airports, hotels, and within reasonable distance of entertainment amenities.

Does the City of Industry have an agglomeration of destination activities within a reasonable distance of Roski’s proposed football stadium? Not to my knowledge. Certainly nothing you can walk to, and nothing of note within 5-10 miles.

Conversely, downtown Los Angeles is in the midst of a revival which has only been accelerated by the creation of LA Live. LA Live has dining, shopping, and entertainment options available to large throngs of foot traffic. And as LA Live has become more prominent, so too have other dining and residential options along neighboring Figueroa Street heading into downtown as well as other surrounding blocks.

This is not to say that downtown LA has all of a sudden become as attractive and walkable a downtown as the likes of New York, Chicago, San Francisco, or Boston.

But downtown LA has made tremendous strides in the last 5 years nonetheless, and I suspect that the addition of a state-of-the-art events center and football stadium in downtown LA that is both visually appealing and operationally flexible has the ability to be a real game changer for the long term economic development of downtown Los Angeles…especially considering the existing entertainment infrastructure already there with Staples Center, LA Live, ESPN’s West Coast Studios, and Nokia Theatre all conveniently spaced in tight proximity to each other.

Not to mention that, from downtown LA, one is only about 8 miles from Hollywood, 10 miles from Beverly Hills, and 15 miles due West to the Pacific Ocean and its assortment of beaches and tourist traps in Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, and the like.

I would even argue that the city of Carson – which is the site of the well-reputed Home Depot Center - would even trump the City of Industry as the 2nd best site for a new events center and football stadium. Though the city of Carson itself is underdeveloped, it is right off ‘The 405′ (LA-speak for Interstate 405) for transportation convenience, 13 miles from LAX which allows easy access to the airport, 16 miles from downtown LA for those that choose to be centrally located, and a mere 10 miles to Long Beach which itself has several downtown locations ideal for tourist activity as well as numerous hotels situated along the water. The NCAA has used Long Beach as its local staff headquarters in the past when overseeing men’s and women’s soccer championships at the Home Depot Center or volleyball championships at the Long Beach Convention Center.

I don’t recall the last time the NCAA (or any organization for that matter) used the City of Industry in a similar capacity.

Ed Roski’s efforts should be commended, and by many experts accounts he is currently ahead in this showdown of development titans.

But an events center and football stadium in the City of Industry will not maximize the long term economic development potential that a new facility could have upon the economics of the Los Angeles region. In this day and age you can’t develop on an island and expect the world to come to you. You’ve got to create the bridges of inducement, and downtown LA more so than the City of Industry has inducements in place to be more attractive to locals and tourists alike.

Positioned in downtown LA and if constructed to serve multiple events such as concerts, conventions, and other sporting events, AEG’s new downtown events center would be much more likely to attract events like Final Fours, NBA All-Star games, World Cup Soccer (still angry about the whole Qatar thing), major conventions, and of course a future Super Bowl because of the surrounding entertainment infrastructure that already exists.

Coupled with the fact that downtown LA is also closer to many of the general and historic tourist attractions and destinations in West LA (e.g. Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, beaches) compared to the City of Industry, there seems to be little doubt that a downtown Los Angeles events center and football stadium would have greater pull upon event rights holders, convention planners, and the like.

And this would ultimately accomplish 3 things:

(1) Place the make-over of downtown Los Angeles on solid long-term footing.

(2) Yield greater long-term economic benefits for the region by way of increased visitor and tourism activity.

(3) Further the image transformation of Los Angeles which would only reaffirm goals 1 and 2 above.

[pesto]

Mostly recycled points, some correct, some wrong (the FIFA issue, concerts and nearness to the Westside strike me as at best immaterial; it's not like there is a shortage of other venues in the area). He's trying too hard to find reasons to like AEG's choice.

The most interesting point is the elevation of Carson to number 2, which sort of gives away the writer's bias against Roski. After all, nobody is talking about Carson and why exactly would it be ahead of the Coliseum, Dodger Stadium area, the railyards north of DT, etc.