NFL Cities May Benefit From California Stadium Decision

A recent move that exempted a proposed Southern California football stadium's plans from environmental review may turn out to be precedent-setting for other cities looking to revamp their sports arenas.

1 minute read

October 24, 2009, 1:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently signed a bill that exempts plans for an NFL stadium in the City of Industry from environmental review regulations.

"While that doesn't guarantee that the stadium will actually be built -- it's up to an NFL owner to pony up the cash for that -- it does remove the biggest hurdle by far in the entitlement process. The governor's rationale for doing something so dramatic -- in one of the most environmentally sensitive states, no less -- is he's been promised the project will create more than 18,000 jobs. That would be a huge boost to the local economy.

So why should the hometown fans of the Chargers, 49ers and Raiders be cheering?

Because if the governor signed that legislation for the Industry project, he would be compelled do the same for potential stadium deals in the Bay Area and San Diego, provided the planners of those projects promised the same type of jaw-dropping job numbers."

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