Clippers Looking for New Home on the Westside (Hat Tip to WammyGiveaway)

[Roscoe Sheed]

Article about Ballmer and prospects for a new arena- westside, Inglewood, and downtown discussed as possibilities

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/ballmer-731182-clippers-sports.html

[Ranma]

It would make a lot of sense for Ballmer to buy up the land adjacent to the Rams stadium site where the Forum currently sits or otherwise partner up with MSG, which currently owns the property. Combining that land with the Rams' current construction plans would alleviate the parking issues for the Rams while also giving the Clippers the benefit of taking advantage of the ancillary buildings for what is currently described as the "NFL Disney World". The only downside would be the traffic congestion given the proximity to LAX but the Lakers made it work for years.

Another downtown stadium to compete with Staples Center doesn't appeal much to me but I guess there is plenty of rundown property in the area that could use the renovation and possibly even expand upon the L.A. Live reconstruction. Personally, I'm intrigued by the idea of pursuing a location on the westside. From a cost perspective, it doesn't make much sense given that property in that area is priced at a premium, however, our owner happens to have very deep pockets as the richest owner in North American sports. If he has a grand vision of building and having control of providing his own particular version of the ultimate fan experience, it would be a luxury he could easily afford that would help him stand out from others. However, Ballmer is lacking in real-estate expertise so he might be vulnerable to a partnership with an experienced developer.

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[Ranma]

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[MrHill]

It would make a lot of sense for Ballmer to buy up the land adjacent to the Rams stadium site where the Forum currently sits or otherwise partner up with MSG, which currently owns the property. Combining that land with the Rams' current construction plans would alleviate the parking issues for the Rams while also giving the Clippers the benefit of taking advantage of the ancillary buildings for what is currently described as the "NFL Disney World". The only downside would be the traffic congestion given the proximity to LAX but the Lakers made it work for years.

Another downtown stadium to compete with Staples Center doesn't appeal much to me but I guess there is plenty of rundown property in the area that could use the renovation and possibly even expand upon the L.A. Live reconstruction. Personally, I'm intrigued by the idea of pursuing a location on the westside. From a cost perspective, it doesn't make much sense given that property in that area is priced at a premium, however, our owner happens to have very deep pockets as the richest owner in North American sports. If he has a grand vision of building and having control of providing his own particular version of the ultimate fan experience, it would be a luxury he could easily afford that would help him stand out from others. However, Ballmer is lacking in real-estate expertise so he might be vulnerable to a partnership with an experienced developer.

If Ballmer wants the Westside (or at least somewhere in western L.A. County), in my opinion, Inglewood makes the best sense. I originally thought Playa Vista somewhere next to the practice facility would be a viable option, but there's so much new development there, it wouldn't be feasible unless they build near the cliff where the Loyola Marymount campus sits. Traffic, of course, is always a factor--there's the 405, Sepulveda Boulevard, the 90 expressway.

Back to Inglewood, with the all of the money MSG sunk into the Forum's renovation (and the fact that's now exclusively a concert venue), the site has to be somewhere on the Hollywood Park property. The new stadium itself will only occupy about a quarter of the land, and the rest of it will be parking and mixed-use development (housing, retail, new NFL Network studios, and a supposed "West Coast branch" of the Pro Football Hall of Fame). A new Clipper arena could easily occupy a corner of the land, and Stan Kroenke can still do whatever the hell he wants with the rest of the land...hell, if you include the shopping centers next door and across the street from HP, there's already enough retail development right here; the same with the fairly-new townhouse development directly to the east. I'm sure Ballmer could give Kroenke an offer he couldn't refuse.

[MrHill]

As a point of reference, here's the site of the City of Champions/Hollywood Park development.

[mkwest]

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[Akklaim1]

Hopefully all these renovations don't translate to a lease extension. I'm really ready for our own arena.

[mkwest]

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More in-depth look at the upgrades...