L.A. stadium project moving forward with consultant

Brent Schrotenboer | USA TODAY Sports

St. Louis Rams owner Stan Kroenke still has many hurdles to scale before his new stadium proposal in Los Angeles ever breaks ground – if it ever does.

But so far the project has been serious enough to hire a consultant to advise on issues related to the proposed stadium's height and regulations with the Federal Aviation Administration, the project's developer confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.

The project would require review by the FAA because of its proposed location about three miles from the Los Angeles International Airport and its expected height of about 175 feet. The consultant is Aviation Systems, Inc., according to Chris Meany of Hollywood Park Land Co., the project's developer.

"It's definitely an indication of seriousness," said Marc Ganis, a sports consultant who helped the Rams and Oakland Raiders leave Los Angeles in 1995. "But they have a long way to go before they're ready to get started."

While such a move is considered standard procedure for a project of this size and location, other factors make this no ordinary development. That's because the proposal is backed by an NFL owner in a different state using land that he owns in Inglewood, Calif.

Many have questioned the project ever since it was announced last week, especially after Meany said they were going to build the stadium "on spec" without a commitment to play there from an NFL team such as Kroenke's Rams. NFL owners and sports business experts doubted they'd take such a risk.

A few days after the announcement, officials in St. Louis also announced plans to build a new riverfront stadium for the Rams there – a project of around $900 million that could include around $400 million in public funds.

That increased speculation that Kroenke's proposed stadium in Inglewood was merely a leverage play to force St. Louis officials to give him a better stadium deal in his current city.

On the other hand, if Inglewood really is intended as a leverage play, Kroenke's group is disguising it well with the help of paid experts.

The FAA said it has received no proposal on the stadium yet, though it's early in the process. The stadium would be built on proposed development spread over 298 acres, including 60 owned by The Kroenke Group. The project, called "The City of Champions Revitalization Project," also would include vast retail, residential and office space and would not involve public funding for construction, the developers said.

"The City of Champions Revitalization Project is a major planned development and we have mobilized an extensive team of technical experts to assist us," Meany said in a statement.

Meany declined further comment, and the consultant didn't return a message seeking comment.

The Hollywood Park Land Co. is a joint venture between The Kroenke Group and Stockbridge Capital Group, which purchased the original 238-acre Hollywood Park site in 2005. The Kroenke Group purchased the adjacent 60-acre parcel in 2013. The developers said they hope to have zoning for the project approved by Inglewood voters this year, leading to a completed stadium in 2018.

Los Angeles has not had an NFL team since the Rams and Raiders left in 1995. Since then, the L.A. market often has been used been for leverage by NFL owners seeking to improve the stadium situations in their current cities. Two other stadium plans in Los Angeles County also have been proposed, though neither involves the company and land of an NFL owner.

Follow sports writer Brent Schrotenboer on Twitter @Schrotenboer. E-mail: bschrotenb@usatoday.com