AEG Presents Transportation Plan For Downtown NFL Stadium

In a presentation to the Los Angeles City Council Ad Hoc Committee on the Proposed Downtown Stadium and Convention Center Renovation, the Anschultz Entertainment Group outlined a transportation plan that included special parking strategies, public transportaiton improvements and streetscape renovations for a proposed National Football League stadium Monday.  

As the City of Los Angeles entertains bringing an NFL team into the heart of downtown, city officials have insisted land developers provide transportation solutions for the added congestion.

AEG claims the stadium will require more than 19,000 parking spaces to accomodate gameday traffic. Developers were confident that there would be enough parking, as a third-party transportation survey conducted by The Mobility Group calculated an extra 10,000 available parking spaces for any given game scenario.  AEG also said they would control traffic by funnelling commuters to specific parking lots based on where they were coming from in the greater Los Angeles area. 

Despite the efforts to ease traffic, Councilman Ed Reyes felt the plan inadquately accounted for residents on the west side of the 110 Freeway.  

"It's as if 70,000 people don't exist on the other side of the freeway," said Reyes. "The message here is not a good one. [AEG] is not focusing on the impact of this side of the freeway."

Reyes argued for AEG's proposal to contain plans for additional parking lots to be established in the areas west of the stadium. AEG representative and land-use lawyer Bill Delvac said the comapny is open to the suggestion, should city officials desire parking west of the 110.

"If...there's a goal to direct parking to those neighborhoods [west of the 110 Freeway], then we would be pleased to consider that," Delvac said.  

Several other City Council members voiced concerns over the proposed transportation plan. Lawmakers asked the developer to return with more robust public transportation and pedestrian traffic plans, as well as further expansion of tailgating procedures and large-scale filming preparations during events.  

The stadium proposal is currently waiting for gubenatorial approval.  Gov. Jerry Brown is yet to sign the bill, and Monday's transportation plan is a major step in assuring the Governor developers are prepared to manage the stadium.

A final version of AEG's transportation plan will be included in the environmental impact report for the entire stadium in January.