Sports Arena Proposed for Burbank : Development: A hotel owner and an actor seek negotiating rights for a 20,000-seat facility, although no site has been chosen. One team may be interested.

A major hotel-restaurant developer and an actor-investor have begun discussions with the city of Burbank about building a state-of-the-art, 20,000-seat sports arena that they hope would attract a local professional sports franchise.

Lewis N. Woolf, co-owner of the Burbank Airport Hilton, and actor Wayne Rogers, best known as the star of the “MASH” and “House Calls” television series, are seeking a three-year exclusive right to negotiate with the city about building the arena on a yet-to-be-determined site.

Although the Los Angeles Kings hockey team appeared less than enthusiastic and basketball’s Lakers are considered unlikely to move, an executive with the Clippers basketball franchise said he would be interested in considering a new site.

The Burbank City Council, acting as the city’s Redevelopment Agency, is scheduled Tuesday to hear the request by Woolf and Rogers for negotiating rights.

“We just want to do some more exploring to see if there is interest in putting together an all-purpose, state-of-the-art facility,” Wolff, 56, said Thursday from San Jose, where he is building the San Jose Hilton and Towers.

Such a deal might involve a private-public partnership between Burbank and Woolf, but specific details of such an agreement have yet to be determined, officials said.

Woolf said Burbank’s accessibility from the Golden State and Ventura freeways was a major factor in locating the planned center.

Burbank Mayor Michael R. Hastings said he was very interested in pursuing the proposal.

Hastings said such an arena would be “a perfect match for Burbank. With no identity in this particular area, this could give the whole city a tremendous kick.”

Councilman Thomas Flavin said he had a few doubts about the proposal, but that he was open to talks.

“There are an awful lot of questions that would have to be answered if and when anything came back to the council, and it will require full public discussion,” he said. “But we need to keep our eyes and ears open for all opportunities, especially if the private sector is interested in pursuing something.”

If the exclusive right to negotiate with the city is approved, Wolff said he would work on developing preliminary plans and concepts for the arena with Rogers, who is part-owner with Wolff in the Columbia Bar & Grill in Hollywood and several other business ventures around the country.

Woolf, who says he is a major investor in the Golden State Warriors as well as co-owner of the La Mirada Holiday Inn and the Park Center Plaza in San Jose, said he has not yet talked with the owners of any sports team about the proposal. Having a host team would be important to the building of such an arena, he said.

“A center like this is feasible without a team, but we would much rather prefer to have a team,” Woolf said. “If we can identify a site and structure that they would be interested in, then maybe they could join us or become a principal in bringing a team to the Burbank area.”

Woolf said he believes that the Los Angeles area could use a sports facility that is more modern than the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, which was built in 1967, and the Sports Arena in Exposition Park, which was dedicated in 1959.

“The Sports Arena is two generations old,” Woolf said. “The Forum is certainly a beautiful building, but it doesn’t have all the state-of-the-art features like private boxes or special eating facilities.”

He said he hopes to at least talk with executives with the Lakers and the Kings, who are based at the Forum, and the Clippers, who play at the Sports Arena.

“I don’t think there’s any opening for a new team to come to this area,” he said. “If we were fortunate enough to get a team, it would have to be one of the existing teams. If we had a magic wand, we would want one of the local teams who are interested in playing in a state-of-the-art facility to at least explore this situation with us.”

Reaction to the proposal Thursday from the Kings, Lakers and Clippers was mixed.

Scott Carmichael, vice president of public relations for the Kings, said the Kings would not be interested in leaving the Forum, which is owned by Dr. Jerry Buss.

“Frankly, the Kings have many, many more years to run on a lease with Jerry Buss,” he said. “It is certainly not our intention to get out of that lease.”

Buss, who also owns the Lakers, could not be reached for comment.

But Harley Frankel, executive vice president of the Clippers, said: “We have not been approached, but we would love to talk to him.” The Clippers would like to have a new arena, he added.

Woolf added that he would be talking with major entertainment companies headquartered in Burbank to gauge their interest in the proposed arena. Warner Bros., NBC and Walt Disney Studios are among the major media firms based in the city.

“Burbank has an appeal for a center with an entertainment nature that could host concerts and shows,” he said.