Rivals to Be Heard on NFL Proposal

The prospects for a relationship between the NFL and the Rose Bowl are unclear. The battle lines in Pasadena are not.

On one side are people who say that the city, to ensure the economic future of its landmark stadium, should welcome becoming home to an NFL team. On the other are people who say that bringing pro football to the Rose Bowl will harm the Arroyo Seco, the surrounding neighborhoods and the stadium.

The argument will take center stage at a public hearing tonight before the City Council, which soon will vote whether to certify the environmental impact report, or EIR, for a redesigned Rose Bowl, and whether to approve the parameters of a deal to be proposed to the NFL. The timing is critical because NFL owners meet May 24-25 in Washington and are expected to discuss putting a team in the Los Angeles area, which has been without NFL football since the Raiders and Rams left after the 1994 season.

Because of the anticipated number of speakers at tonight’s hearing, the meeting will be at the Pasadena Conference Center instead of City Hall and is expected to last several hours. It is unlikely that the council will decide tonight whether to certify the environmental report.

The league is considering stadium proposals at the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum and in Anaheim and Carson. The field of competing stadium concepts could be narrowed -- or the race could be decided -- at these meetings. For the Rose Bowl to stay in the race, it is essential that the Pasadena City Council approve the EIR.

“It’s a crucial time for Pasadena and the Rose Bowl,” said Bill Thomson, president of Rose Bowl Operating Co. and a former Pasadena mayor. “If the EIR and the project are approved, we’re still in contention and I think we have a very good chance of being one of the sites that remain.”

Not everyone in Pasadena would consider that a positive development. The most vocal critics of a redesigned Rose Bowl are powerful historic preservationists who say that the proposed changes would doom the stadium’s landmark status, further clog the busy streets around it and deprive the city of its biggest park. Pasadena Heritage, anticipating a legal battle, has hired an attorney specializing in preservation issues.

“The Rose Bowl is a community asset,” said Sue Mossman, the group’s executive director. “If you’re going to trade away an asset, you’d better be sure you’re getting something better. Otherwise, you’re foolish. We don’t think the NFL is something better.”

Proponents of bringing an NFL team to Pasadena cite the results of a recent survey commissioned by the Rose Bowl that found that 58% of respondents “strongly favor” or “somewhat favor” making the 83-year-old stadium home to a pro football franchise.

“We’re not saying the NFL is the best thing in the world,” said Don McIntyre, a former Pasadena city manager and a member of Friends of the Rose Bowl, a booster group in favor of courting the league. “We’re just saying don’t close the door on what might be the last, best opportunity to find a deep-pocket tenant for the stadium.”

The redesign that appeals to the NFL calls for a 65,000-seat stadium -- expandable to 75,000 for Super Bowls and other major events. The stadium now has 92,000 seats and attracts an average of 52,000 spectators for major events.