Demoff, Koger Talk Updated Timeline of L.A. StadiumBy Myles Simmons
While this winter’s record-setting rainfall may have benefited the Southern California region, it has led to a delay in the opening of the Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park. The project is now slated to be complete in mid-2020, with the Rams playing their first season there that year.
“Obviously it’s a disappointment when you’ve been working on something every day,” Rams Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff said on a conference call Thursday afternoon. “But our organization has always taken the long-term approach on the Los Angeles project. And this is important to get right.”
Demoff mentioned the vision of Rams Owner and Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke as the main reason to push back the opening date. According to Demoff, that vision has three main factors — that the project is world class, of the highest quality, and a game changer for the way stadiums and sports districts interact.
“What would be a bigger disappointment than pushing back a year is failing to deliver on that vision,” Demoff said. “Stan’s vision is unique and I think it’s an unbelievable responsibility for all of us who work on this project to make sure we deliver that for him, for fans, for Angelenos, for the NFL, and for the world when you talk about an event, potentially, like the 2024 Olympics. It’s much more important to get it right than to make sure you hit a certain date.”
To that end, Legends project development S.V.P. and managing director Dale Koger explained on the call the heavy rains Los Angeles faced the first few months of the year delayed the project enough so that it might not be complete by the 2019 NFL season.
This created a significant challenge, as it came right in the process of digging the 90-foot deep hole for the stadium’s playing field.
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