Los Angeles takes step toward NFL
LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles council committee voted Wednesday to endorse a tentative framework agreement with a private developer that wants to build a 72,000-seat NFL stadium on the city’s convention center campus.
The 4-0 vote by members of the council’s special temporary committee on stadium-related issues sends the non-binding memorandum of understanding with Anschutz Entertainment Group to the full council for a final vote next week.
Councilman Bill Rosendahl said before the vote was taken that the agreement was the result of tough negotiations with AEG, which had originally proposed a plan that would have required the city to take on more risk.
“The partnership is moving in the right direction,” said Rosendahl, who co-chairs the committee.
The agreement calls for the issuance of $275 million in tax-exempt bonds for the relocation of a convention center hall to accommodate the proposed $1.2-billion football venue.
AEG agreed in the proposed framework to break $80 million of the $275 million in debt into a special type of bond that is financed with a tax on its nearby properties such as Staples Center and the LA Live entertainment complex and puts the facilities on the line if the company doesn’t pay.
The agreement also requires AEG to extend a series of financial guarantees over the course of the project as a safeguard against shortfalls.
If the council approves the framework deal, members will vote later on separate definitive stadium-related agreements.
