The Rams have turned down a $124M plan from the St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission to renovate Edward Jones Dome, and the team is "facing a May 1 deadline to make a counteroffer," according to Matthew Hathaway of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The CVC had "proposed adding new windows, club seats, a video scoreboard and a three-story structure on Baer Plaza that would serve as an entrance for fans in club seats and suites." It was asking the Rams to cover $64M of the cost. The CVC plan "did not specify exactly where" the remaining $60M would come from, but "listed higher fees for parking and tickets as one possibility." Taken as a whole, the CVC plan "lacked the grand scale of several recent NFL stadium rehabs," like the $375M overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium or the $250M renovation of Sun Life Stadium. The plan called for the Rams to pay for 52% of the $124M project. That is a "bigger share than what was paid by NFL teams in recent, more expensive rehab projects" in K.C., Chicago or New Orleans. Rams officials "haven't said whether they believe the team should pay for any 'first tier' improvements, although that issue is expected to be addressed in the team's counteroffer." If the Rams and the CVC "can't strike a deal, the team could walk away from the lease and leave St. Louis" as early as '15 (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/2).
