City Councilwoman Jan Perry is seeking to speed the City Hall approval process for Anschutz Entertainment Group's proposed downtown football stadium.
On Tuesday, Perry submitted a resolution to reduce the public hearing notice period for the stadium's development agreement to just 10 days. Her resolution is expected to be voted on next week by the City Council.
Per city-followed rules, the Council doesn't vote on major projects until 24 days after the development agreement between the city and developer is released to the public.
But Perry, a mayoral candidate and frequent supporter of the development community, notes in her resolution AEG needs the stadium quickly approved, and if the council fails to vote by a set deadline, the project could be delayed by a year.
That deadline isn't named in her resolution, but a City Hall source says that the City Council wants to vote on the project on Sept. 28.
On Thursday, the city's Planning Department released the development agreement to City Hall staff. Among other things, the agreement calls for AEG to pay for millions in improvements to the area around the stadium, including $10 million to add another platform at the Metro Blue Line and Expo Line station at Pico Boulevard, and $2.4 million to fund a study to add a northbound lane to the US-101 Hollywood Freeway near downtown.
To mitigate traffic, the agreement also requires AEG and Dodger Stadium officials to coordinate
measures when there are concurrent events planned for both sites.The Planning Department report recommends approval of AEG's project, as well a new Sign District for the stadium.
Perry's proposal for a narrowed public notice period comes on the heels of last year's special treatment from the state Legislature, which drafted a special law to speed lawsuits over the project. That legislation is now the subject of a lawsuit, filed last week by downtown groups.
While Perry's resolution appears to reflect City Hall's continued support for the stadium, the special exemption for AEG smacks of favoritism, argues attorney Noel Weiss, who frequently battles City Hall over land use.
"This is just another calculated attempt by Perry to appease a special interest, and promote her campaign for mayor," said Weiss, who added that the public, particularly the local neighborhood councils, need more time to weigh in on the stadium.
In an email, AEG spokesman Michael Roth wrote that it's "critical the project be approved and through any potential challenges" prior to spring 2013, the date of a key meeting of National Football League owners. He also defended the stadium as having the "highest level of transparency and public participation."
Perry also pushed for a similar 10-day exemption in 2009 for the Wilshire Grand, a downtown hotel project, stating the developer needed quick approvals to secure financing.
She argued that there has already been sufficient public input on the proposal and there will be additional hearings in the future.
"The City has highly scrutinized this project every step of the way, it has been a very open, transparent process," Perry said in an emailed statement. "The proposed stadium and new hall of the convention center will create thousands of jobs at a time when the City is in dire need of new employment opportunities for our residents. Angelenos need these jobs now; delaying construction by a year or more is not acceptable."
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