National Football League (NFL) team owners are scheduled to convene at a special meeting January 12-13 to vote on requests by teams to relocate to the Los Angeles area, according to NFL officials.

 

The upcoming vote comes as the Carson City Council on Tuesday, December 15, unanimously approved placing a moratorium on all development surrounding a site pitched for a new NFL stadium for the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders.

 

The action freezes any development on more than 600 acres of land immediately west, north and east of the proposed 168-acre stadium site, according to city officials. The action also halts development of convenience stores and gas stations.

 

“We wanted to get ahead of it to make sure that the type of projects that come in and around the stadium are compatible and consistent with our overall scheme and plan for that area in making it one of the premiere destination areas in town,” Carson Mayor Albert Robles told the Business Journal.

 

The city has already received interest from developers about property surrounding the site, he said, adding that if a new stadium, along with about 16,000 parking spaces, in Carson is approved by the NFL, it will likely drive up property values.

 

During the meeting this week, the city council also approved establishing a non-profit foundation to accept and manage charitable contributions, including a $250,000 donation to be made annually from the Chargers and the Raiders, to fund civic projects.

 

“All of these things are being done in anticipation and in hopes that Carson, in particularly that area, is going to literally be transformed in the next couple years,” Robles said. “Opportunities for growth and development in Carson are abundant. We are getting interest now from developers, and we are excited about our future.”

 

As previously announced, Robert Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Co., has been hired as chairman of the Carson stadium proposal and will guide development and branding of the site, said Mark Fabiana, special counsel for the Chargers, in an email to the Business Journal.

 

He said the Chargers and Raiders affirmed to NFL officials in writing the “strength of their partnership” and the “lack of interest in the Inglewood site being sponsored by Stan Kroenke, (owner of the St. Louis Rams).”