Del Mar Fairgrounds Being Eyed as Arena by Owner of L.A. Lakers

Jerry Buss, sports entrepreneur and owner of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team, has expressed interest in building a “world-class” sports arena at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, operators of the facility said Monday.

Buss met last month in Encinitas with three members of the 22nd District Agricultural Assn. board, which operates the fairgrounds, to discuss “the construction and placement of a world-class facility,” said Allan Royster, a member of the board.

“It was an exploratory conversation at best,” Royster said. “He was putting out his feelers. He outlined his feelings for the San Diego area, which were very positive. And he wanted to get a handle on our feelings about such a venture, what the community reaction might be.

“But I get the feeling that he is looking at several other areas of the county as well. It wasn’t a conversation that went, ‘You’re my choice. This is what I want to build and this is where I want to build it.’ He was very casual.”

Buss, 57, could not be reached for comment Monday. But Bob Steiner, public relations director for California Sports Inc., the parent company for several of Buss’ sports ventures, said Del Mar is among several sites the owner has in mind.

“If Mr. Buss has decided on a spot, he hasn’t told me,” he said. “As far as I know, he hasn’t narrowed down just where he’ll put in his bid for a new expansion team--in Anaheim (in Orange County) or San Diego County.

“He just hasn’t ruled anything out at this point.”

Royster said that by the term world-class facility , he assumes that Buss’ plans call for building a multiuse arena such as the Forum, the facility Buss owns in Inglewood that is home to two professional sports teams--the Los Angeles Lakers of basketball and the Los Angeles Kings of hockey--as well as the site of rock concerts and other special events.

“I assume he’s got several uses in mind or he wouldn’t be spending the kind of money it takes to build such an arena,” Royster said.

The Del Mar Fairgrounds has two construction projects under way and a third scheduled to begin next year, he said.

A $5-million horse arena and a $13-million satellite wagering facility are both due to be completed in 1991. Also next year, officials will begin building a $107-million public grandstand.

Still, there’s always room for another project, Royster said. “There are places to build” a new arena, he said.

While the full board has yet to consider the issue, Royster said a new sports arena would get his vote of approval.

Del Mar Mayor Jan McMillan said she has not received any word on the potential project. “But if traffic problems increase,” she said, “then it would be a big problem.”

For now, Royster said, officials are content to sit and wait for a decision.