Designers hired to create a plan for a new Meadowlands
sports arena are seeking to "replace or complement"
Continental Airlines Arena by "proposing a 20,000-seat
facility just east of Giants Stadium, multitiered parking
garages and a commercial center," according to Guy Sterling
of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. The initial plan is "expected to
be completed by next month" and "is the most detailed effort
to date" by Meadowlands officials to keep the Devils and
Nets, whose ownership "is interested in moving the team to
Newark." Architects Ron Turner of NBBJ of L.A. and Don
Dissinger of Philadelphia's Ewing Cole say they "envision" a
sports complex "that has a recognizable `front door,'
reconfigured inner roadways and a towering `icon' that would
be visible for miles." The idea, according to many
observers, is to give the NJ Sports & Exposition Authority
(NJSEA), the "upper hand" in the "battle" to decide the
future of the Nets and Devils. The NJSEA is "competing
with" a business group that wants to move the Nets to a
downtown Newark arena (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 11/15).