Neighbors Restate Stadium Opposition

Nearly a month after a proposed 15,000-seat football stadium was removed from Cal State Northridge’s master plan for campus development, residents are continuing to make it clear they don’t want the athletic facility in their neighborhood.

About 130 Northridge residents, many of whom live near the former proposed football site at Lindley Avenue and Halsted Street, voiced their concerns during a town hall forum Tuesday that was moderated by CSUN President Blenda Wilson in the Grand Salon Room at the University Student Union.

Some of the residents held up signs saying “No football stadium near our families” and “Not in my front yard.”

“We made it adamantly clear that we are opposed to the construction of a 15,000-seat stadium near our homes,” said Pat LoPresti, a representative of the Lindley West Coalition, a group of homeowners who live west of Lindley Avenue in Northridge. “We’re not opposed to the university’s athletics and academics; it’s the stadium we’re opposed to.”

CSUN spokesman John Chandler said the concerns raised at the meeting will give university officials a clear understanding of residents’ opinions.

“The reality is that we can’t stomp around doing what we want to do,” Chandler said. “We have to consider what we do to the neighborhood, and we are committed to taking their concerns into consideration.”

Under pressure from residents, Wilson on May 7 took the proposed stadium off the master plan, a move that was approved by the California State University chancellor’s office May 12.

Wilson said a planning committee will be formed--including members of CSUN’s advisory board, the university’s intercollegiate task force, Councilman Hal Bernson’s advisory group and homeowners--to determine a new site for the stadium.