NFL stadium is back in play in Carson

By Gene Maddaus

It's been more than three years since Carson gave up its dim hopes of attracting a professional football team - and more than a decade since the city seemed like a real contender for the NFL.

The former landfill where agent Michael Ovitz once dreamed a stadium could be built is now undergoing grading to make way for a shopping mall.

But the dream is too tantalizing for a Beverly Hills real estate developer to let it die. The developer, Richard Rand, has been quietly working on plans to build a stadium on a nearby parcel, south of the intersection of the San Diego (405)and Harbor (110) freeways.

Rand has not unveiled any plans or sought any coverage of his proposal. The only clue it even exists is that it has appeared on a few agendas of closed Carson City Council sessions, where it is described only in the vaguest of terms.

In recent months, the city has entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with Rand's company, which gives him the right to try to put a deal together but does not bind the city to support the project.

"We've assured Richard and his folks that should that happen we certainly would be supportive," said Clifford Graves, the city's redevelopment manager. "He does appear to have the capacity on his team to make a serious effort."

NFL stadium is back in play in Carson....