St. Louis Rams Owner Wants to Build NFL Stadium in LA County

Stan Kroenke, the owner of the St. Louis Rams, announced his plans to build an NFL stadium in Inglewood that would hopefully bring football back to Los Angeles.

Roughly a year ago, Kroenke bought 60 acres of land next to the Forum, which used to be home to the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Kings Hockey team. It is currently used strictly as a music venue.

Since making the purchase, the Kroenke group has partnered up with the Stockbridge Capital Group, which owns the 238-acre Hollywood Park location, to create an 80,000-seat stadium and a 6,000-seat performance venue.

"We are excited to unveil an expanded plan that will bring a world-class sports and entertainment district to Hollywood Park," Terry Fancher, founder of Stockbridge, said in a statement. "We are committed to working with [the Kroenke Group] to build a project that will put Inglewood back on the map as home of the truly great sports and entertainment venues."

Over the past 20-years, there have been repeated efforts to bring the league back to LA. Although those attempts have failed, Kroenke's plan could become reality. The billionaire has both the funds and location.

On top of that, Kroenke can immediately change their lease at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis to year-to-year. The 30-year-old lease can be converted a decade early due to the fact that the St. Louis officials have not made improvements to the stadium, which, according to current NFL standards, is very outdated. From 1946 to 1948, the Rams were a team based in California.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the group is aiming to get the entire project on the 2015 Inglewood municipal ballot. The Hollywood Park project has already been approved. Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. is reportedly "extremely supportive" of the ballot initiative.

"This will hasten the time for the citizens of Inglewood to get the project they deserve," Butts said. "This is something they have waited for for a long time."

The developers added that no tax dollars would be used. The project, which the owners are calling the City of Champions Revitalization Project, will be developed by a San Francisco firm, Wilson Meany. The project could be finished by 2018.

For any NFL team that plans on relocating, the franchise must apply between Jan. 1 and Feb. 15 of that year.