ANAHEIM – A consultant on Tuesday told the City Council that it could cost $600 million to $700 million to relocate the Angels baseball team to another city within Southern California, likely financed with help from an outside investor.
The estimate comes just weeks after Angels team owner Arte Moreno said that he felt ongoing negotiations were “going backward” in striking up a new stadium lease with Anaheim city officials. Moreno has since met with Tustin city officials to discuss the possibility of moving the team.
“There have been discussions about Tustin. I don’t know if that’s real or not, but there are potential relocation areas,” said Daniel Barrett, founder of Barrett Sports Group, who is assisting Anaheim city officials with the stadium lease talks.
Barrett speculated that the Angels could also potentially move to Irvine or Industry. He also noted that Los Angeles city officials could change their mind about building a football stadium adjacent to Staples Center and opt instead to build a baseball stadium.
Mayor Tom Tait said he believed it could cost closer to $1 billion to purchase property and build a new stadium. Barrett said he believed the cost to be lower, based on the possibility of an outside investor assisting Moreno with financing or if the team finds a city willing to provide free land. The discussion came after Barrett outlined recent public and private investments to build or renovate four other Major League Baseball stadiums.
The Anaheim City Council agreed in September to extend an opt-out clause that allows the Angels to leave as soon as 2019, giving both sides time to negotiate a renewal of the current lease that expires in 2029. The Angels and city officials have approved an outline of bargaining points, including the removal of Anaheim from the team’s official name – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The most disputed issue, however, is whether to allow Moreno’s development company, Pacific Coast Investors, to pay $1 a year for 66 years to develop the land surrounding Angel Stadium. City officials have said that money generated as a result of development would go toward an estimated $150 million worth of upgrades to the stadium, which was built 1966 and underwent a facelift during the 1990s. The Angels current lease requires the team to both manage the venue and pay for upgrades.
A city-hired appraiser is expected later this month to report on the value of Angel Stadium and the surrounding parking lots.
Mayor Tait, who opposed the negotiating terms, asked city staffers on Tuesday to ensure that any potential lease agreement with the Angels undergo a 30-day public review prior to a vote by the City Council.
“We agree that there should be a public review of any deal we might reach,” Angels spokeswoman Marie Garvey said.
Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or amarroquin@ocregister.com
