Fans can expect to see major changes at Angel Stadium over the coming decades.
The Angels and city officials are discussing possible renovations, with a price tag of $130 million to $150 million, to the city’s 47-year-old stadium, which often draws 3 million baseball fans a year. A draft study shows that the facility has significant long-term needs, from an electrical-system upgrade to new seats.
To pay for those upgrades, the Angels want the city to let the team develop part of the stadium’s parking lot, perhaps with apartments, restaurants and shops … and maybe even an NFL stadium.
Any changes are a long time away: Just reaching an agreement would likely take at least six months, but talks could last much longer, said Tom Morton, the city’s executive director for the Anaheim Convention Center, sports and entertainment. The Angels have until 2019 to opt out of the lease.
We here at the Anaheim Bulletin think it is a good time to mull over the possibilities of what improvements could bring – and what fans would like to get.
So we asked around.
Find out what Register sports staffers say about what Angel Stadium should add from other stadiums.
Here’s what fans said:
“I’ve been coming to games since the first season in 1966. I used to be a Dodgers fan, but I became an Angels fan when they moved to my backyard. All I have to say is that they better put in some high-rise (parking) structures if they build anything in the parking lot. Otherwise, I think it’s fine right now.”
– Lloyd Mattson, Orange
“I would like to see the entire right-field pavilion torn down and redone; make that fence lower. Once you’re past the fourth row, you miss lots of the action that may happen in right field. Then make that patch of grass next to the left-field pavilion into a park/sand play area for kids/families. Being that most fans are just happy to be there, it would be perfect. Oh, and eliminate the rocks!”
– Jorge Martinez, Anaheim
“I just don’t want them to lose Anaheim from the name. Anaheim is not L.A. It’s just that simple. L.A. has nothing to do with us. I prefer the parking lot being open because I’m an open person. I think it gives the lot a good breeze. I don’t like closed places, and I don’t want to see it get congested, like the area around Staples Center. It’s easy to get in and out of here right now and I’d like to keep it that way.”
– Flo Mattson, Orange
“The stadium is fine the way it is. I think the owner should be able to build whatever he wants out there. Letting him lease the land for a dollar a year is a little ridiculous. He should pay the going rate like everyone else out there. But once he rents it, he should be able to do whatever he wants with it, like any other tenant can with spaces they rent.”
– Joe Vukovich, Cerritos
“The stairs inside the stadium are too steep and it’s not easy getting up and down. I think the parking lot is fine as it is. No one parks on the southwest side of the parking lot, so maybe they can put some businesses there. But nowhere else.”
– Kirk Gaebel, Mission Viejo
“Not having the ability to tweet, check the At Bat app, watch PitchF/X, get replays of close plays while watching the game is really annoying. Free Wi-Fi, with enough bandwidth for everyone, would be amazing. It has to be usable when the stadium is full and everyone is on it. Watching video replay on the phone would be a great feature I could do with a faster Internet connection.”
– Greg Bird, Fullerton
“The concessions are pretty good, and I think they did a great job with the last time they upgraded the stadium. But, yeah, the stadium could use some Wi-Fi and the screens could be improved. I don’t care if he builds anything in the parking lot, as long as it doesn’t interfere with traffic. He’s an entrepreneur, a self-made guy, so I say he should just go for it.”
– Dan Isenhart, Rancho Santa Margarita
“I would love to see restaurants where fans could eat before or stay later after the game. I definitely think there should be housing developed because new businesses, like restaurants, probably can’t survive on the seasonal baseball crowd only. I’d like to see (parking) consolidated in a garage (or garages) rather than spread out in one large surface lot. As the fourth oldest MLB stadium, it’s actually in remarkable shape compared to the others. With development around it that enhances the experience, Angel Stadium could really be one of the best places to experience baseball for years to come.”
– Steve White, Los Angeles
“A restaurant in the parking lot would be nice, but the inside of the stadium is already pretty nice. They could always do an overhaul like the Dodgers did and get a new sound system. I’d be all for it, but it’s not like the place is run down or old. Anything they want to build here would bring the people here and be good for business.”
– Jackie Orduno, Irvine
“A new way to commemorate our Angels players who have had their numbers retired would be nice. Maybe bronze plaques or heads somewhere in the stadium or out in front by the big hats. An environmentally conscious stadium would be cool. A lot of it could be made out of recycled material and there could be solar panels on the top of the bleachers.”
– Ian Rapport, Orange
“There is little for fans to enjoy (regarding) reasonably priced food and drinks before an event at Angel Stadium within walking distance. True, there are a few restaurants on the other side of the train tracks. But nothing that brings a flavor of local food to visitors to the area. I’ve been to 15 other ballparks and, to be honest, the beer and food selections at the local parks (Dodger and Angel stadiums) don’t hold a candle to the selections at other parks.”
– Nick Ingram, South Bay
Compiled by staff writers Art Marroquin, Sarah Tully and Pedro Moura
Contact the writer: 714-704-3793 or stully@ocregister.com
