Fans hoping for the return of the NFL in Los Angeles could wind up going from no teams to three soon. While the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders push for a plan for a shared stadium, another stadium planned for Inglewood has been unanimously approved by the city council there.
The 80,000-seat stadium will be at the site of the old Hollywood Park racetrack. St. Louis Rams owner Sam Kroenke is among the developers on the project, which was first unveiled in January. If it is built, Kroenke is expected to move the Rams back to LA, the city the franchise left in 1994.
The measure passed the Inglewood City Council in a 5-0 vote Tuesday night, reports the Los Angeles Times. After the vote, Inglewood Mayor James Butts told a crowd of Rams fans that they could now celebrate.
According to an economic impact report ordered by Inglewood, the stadium would be privately funded and could be the most expensive sports venue in U.S. history. It could cost $1.86 billion to build.
Meanwhile, the Chargers and Raiders have their own plan to play in Los Angeles, suggesting a $1.7 billion stadium that would be built in Carson. A group supporting that idea, called Carson2gether, is hoping to get the measure on the ballot for the public to vote on. The group needs 8,041 signatures to get it on the ballot, the Times reported.
The Raiders also left Los Angeles in 1994. The Chargers franchise played its first season in Los Angeles in 1960 and moved to San Diego for the following season.