The St. Louis Rams announced to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission on Monday that after converting to a year-to-year agreement, the team would play in St. Louis during the 2015 season.
Meanwhile, in Inglewood, Calif., a group funded by Rams owner Stan Kroenke and his Hollywood Park Land Co. partners turned in more than 20,000 signatures to put the proposal for a proposed new stadium and entertainment venue on ballots as soon as this summer. Citizens for Revitalizing the City of Champions, which is backed by Kroenke and Stockbridge Capital, began collecting signatures when the project was announced three weeks ago. It only needed about 8,400 signatures, or 15 percent of registered voters in Inglewood, to bring the proposal to a vote. It gathered more than twice as many.
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“The people of Inglewood are sending a clear and powerful message that this project is vital for our city’s future,” said Hollywood Park Land Co. community liaison Gerard McCallum, calling the support “overwhelming and unprecedented, especially when you consider the signature-gathering effort began less than three weeks ago.”
By bringing the proposal to a public vote, the developers could put the project on a faster track to completion and avoid a potentially costly and timely environmental review.
The proposal that voters will consider includes adding 60 acres (purchased by Kroenke in January 2014) to the original development plan, an 80,000-seat stadium, a performing arts venue, and office and retail components.
While the developers stated that the project would receive no public funding, they might ultimately receive tax compensation of $60 million for sewers and roads that are constructed and used by the public.
Kroenke has not stated that he intends to move his franchise back to Los Angeles, but now can officially move at the close of the 2015 season, after the current one-year lease expires. If three-fourths of the NFL’s owners approve the move, Kroenke would be free to relocate the team.
In a statement, CVC President Kitty Ratcliffe noted that the Rams had notified the commission of the team’s intent to convert the lease to an annual tenancy. “While the lease will now run year-to-year, all other lease terms remain the same,” she noted. “We look forward to working with Rams’ management in preparation for the 2015 football season in the Edward Jones Dome.”
David Peacock and David Blitz, Gov. Jay Nixon’s new stadium task force leaders, said in a statement, “We appreciate the Rams personally informing us of their decision here in St. Louis as well as their submission of petition signatures for the ballot initiative in Inglewood. Neither of these actions was unexpected, nor do they have any effect on our stadium plans for the north riverfront of St. Louis.”
