The owner of the St Louis Rams plans to build an 80,000-seat stadium in the Los Angeles suburbs, boosting the chances that an NFL team could return to the region.
Stan Kroenke has partnered with Stockbridge Capital Group, owners of the 238-acre Hollywood Park site in Inglewood, on the edge of Los Angeles.
Kroenke and Stockbridge say they plan to add a stadium and 6000-seat performance venue to a massive development of retail, office, hotel and residential space planned for the site of a former horse track.
"This is a perfect location for a venue like this," said Christopher Meany, a senior executive for the joint venture, Hollywood Park Land Co, alluding to its proximity to major freeways, the Los Angeles International Airport and The Forum, the former home of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers.
"I don't know of a place that compares to this."
Meany was cautious not to characterise the stadium as an NFL venue, emphasising that any decision on moving a team is "entirely in the hands of the NFL." He repeatedly referred to the stadium as "multipurpose," also capable of hosting soccer games.
The proposal was first reported Monday by the Los Angeles Times.
The shell of the old racetrack would need to be levelled, and stadium construction is not expected to begin before late this year. The development also hinges on approval by local voters, Meany said.
It is the latest of numerous Los Angeles-area NFL stadium proposals over two decades. But Kroenke's move marks the first time an existing team owner has controlled a local site large enough for a stadium and parking, according to the Times.
The plan will add to pressure on St. Louis to either strike a deal for a new stadium or watch the team return to Southern California, where it played from 1946 to 1994.
St. Louis is expected to offer the team a new proposal by the end of the month.
