The Alameda County Board of Supervisors yesterday "unanimously signed off on a six-month agreement to negotiate directly" with Oakland and its private development partner, Floyd Kephart, on redeveloping the complex around O.co Coliseum "into a densely packed urban center with a new football stadium for the Raiders," according to a front-page piece by Matthew Artz of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. If talks progress, the three parties "could enter into a development deal for the site later this year." But perhaps the "most important component of the project -- a commitment from the Raiders -- is no longer being required of Kephart." When Kephart first signed on to the Coliseum City project, Oakland officials "required him to secure a 'binding agreement' from the Raiders by last December." Under Kephart's new agreement, he is "required only to produce 'refined terms and conditions required to obtain a commitment' from the team and 'a projected schedule for obtaining a commitment.'" Consultant Andy Dolich said, "I don't see any way that can be viewed as positive news to the Raiders staying in Oakland." Team Owner Mark Davis has repeatedly said that he "wants to keep the Raiders in Oakland but has not committed himself to Coliseum City or come forward with a proposal to build a stadium." The team "did not have" reps at yesterday's meeting and "did not respond to requests for comment." Local officials said that the Raiders "have privately been supportive of Coliseum City and had pushed them to sign the agreement with Kephart" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 3/25).
MAKING THE ROUNDS: In California, Scott Reid reports NFL officials "are cautioning officials in St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland that any pitches to keep their teams need to be made this year and sooner rather than later." While the league’s annual window for teams to announce their intention to relocate "remains Jan. 1 to Feb. 15, NFL officials are working on a number of fronts to enable the league to be ready for a vote months earlier should the Rams, Raiders or Chargers commit to moving." NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman said, “We’re setting all this up to go earlier than that and we’ve told the home markets they ought not to depend on that Jan. 1.” Reid notes all of the NFL’s assessments and studies "will be completed in time for the league’s 32 owners to be prepared to vote on relocation as early as the October meeting" in N.Y. But projects in Inglewood and Carson "have created a momentum that to some in the NFL make the relocation of at least one team to Los Angeles inevitable." Grubman "has been to St. Louis four or five times" in the past year to meet with stadium consultant Dave Peacock. Grubman also recently "met with approximately 30 Oakland and Alameda County officials about efforts" toward a new Raiders venue. Grubman is "scheduled to meet on April 14 with members of a stadium task force appointed by San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer," who has "set a May 20 deadline for the task force to complete construction, environmental and financing plans for a proposed stadium in Mission Valley" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 3/25).
EVALUATING THE MARKETS: In St. Louis, Jim Thomas writes "another speed bump" in financing a stadium to keep the Rams in St. Louis is "something called market assessment." Grubman said that the league "has retained the Legends firm to do the market research" in St. Louis, Oakland, and San Diego -- as well as L.A. Thomas notes the St. Louis assessment began "a few weeks ago with the
email surveys to season-ticket holders," while assessments "are about to begin in San Diego and Oakland." The full process "will take about two to three months." Grubman: “We’re sharing that information with league clubs. So it’s to the benefit of anybody who has a need to see it" (
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 3/25).
IDLE THREAT? USA TODAY's Josh Peter writes previous rumblings of the NFL returning to L.A. "ultimately went nowhere," but there has been a "more specific message this week at the NFL owners meetings." L.A.'s "biggest remaining hurdle" remains the "actions of three other cities, simply because the NFL has always placed great importance on keeping teams in their markets." The owners of the three teams "have accelerated their lobbying efforts as they seek support for a possible move." The Raiders' Davis said that things "could get awkward" when he, Rams Owner Stan Kroenke and Chargers President Dean Spanos "participate in meetings on other league matters." Davis: "It's an elephant in the room, and it shouldn't be. But that's how the process has played out." Peter writes the NFL "has mastered the art of squeezing stadium deals out of cities over the last two decades, and the goal is for the three teams to get new homes, whether it be" in L.A, or their current cities. SportsCorp President Marc Ganis said if a proposed stadium in St. Louis secures funding, it would be "very hard, if not impossible, following the league's relocation rules, for that not to be approved by the NFL" (USA TODAY, 3/25).
