[Elvis]

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/0 ... code=2xypl

Raiders To Invest Millions For New Training Facility At Alameda Headquarters

May 6, 2015 7:06 PM

ALAMEDA (CBS SF) — Amid the talk of the Oakland Raiders possibly moving back to Southern California, there is word the team is planning to spend millions of dollars to build a brand-new training facility at their Alameda headquarters.

The city of Alameda has already approved the plans for the new facility, which will include a state-of-the-art workout center, a new maintenance building, and new turf and irrigation systems for the three practice fields.

“The exterior is a prefabricated metal building,” said Alameda Planning Services Manager Allen Tai.”Those buildings can last for quite some time.”
The new gym will measure about 20,000 square feet with a hydration bar.

Tai said the construction should be done by mid-August before the start of the regular season.

It’s estimated the entire facility will cost between $10 million and $40 million. “We’re excited,” said Tai. “If this is a sign that the Raiders are choosing to stay in town, we’re very excited.”

Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority board member Chris Dobbins agreed the facility plans are a good omen for keeping the team in the Bay Area.

“These guys are businessmen,” said Dobbins. “I can’t see why anybody would invest this kind of money for a short term.”

The Raiders have a one-year lease at O.co Coliseum, and could ask the NFL for permission to move to SoCal as early as next year.

Carson in Los Angeles County has been lobbying both the Raiders and the San Diego Chargers to build a joint stadium venture.

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said the plans to upgrade the team’s Alameda headquarters was “a great sign.”

“It’s a sign of confidence in Oakland,” said Schaaf. “It’s a sign that they want to stay here where they have an adoring fan base.”

Former executive with the A’s, Warriors and 49ers Andy Dolich agreed it’s a good sign, but said Oakland shouldn’t relax in its stadium negotiations with the Raiders.

“In the scheme of the multi-billions of dollars that get transacted every day in the NFL, I wouldn’t necessarily have a ‘Raiders Are Staying in Oakland’ party just yet,” said Dolich.

The Raiders did not respond to a KPIX 5 request for comment. It’s expected the players will be able to use the brand-new facility no later than September 1st.

[Elvis]

http://www.latimes.com/sports/sportsnow ... story.html

Final cleanup approved at Carson site where Chargers, Raiders want stadium

Final cleanup of the old landfill site in Carson where the San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders want to build a stadium should be funded by August.

The Carson City Council on Tuesday night approved the sale of $50.5 million in bonds to finish stalled environmental work on the former Cal Compact landfill, along the 405 freeway. They also approved a deal for a city authority to take possession of the site after a Chargers subsidiary buys it from real estate firm Starwood Capital, which had planned a shopping center there. That deal, which in escrow, has been delayed by paperwork but is set to close soon, according to a Chargers attorney.

The city had been obligated to fund the cleanup under a deal with a prior owner of the site. Under this agreement, a city authority will own the site and can sell it to another developer if the stadium falls through. The work, which can’t begin until there’s a development plan for the site, should take about 18 months to complete, state environmental officials have said.

Before anything can be built on Carson's toxic waste dump, the city has to come up with the funding to pay for the clean up, then it is estimated that it will take 18 months to clean it up. In the meantime Stan Kroenke will start building his stadium in Inglewood by the end of the year. He...

The bond sale, which should be closed by August, is one of several transactions that Carson officials and the teams still need to work out before the Chargers or Raiders can ask the NFL to relocate later this year. Negotiations on those are ongoing. City attorney Sunny Soltani said the stadium authority will pay rent to the city starting at $1.2 million per year, and eventually climbing to $3.1 million. The city has agreed to levy no new ticket or parking taxes on NFL events at the stadium. Under terms of the initiative adopted last month by the City Council, no general budget money will go into building or maintaining the stadium.