NFL Los Angeles 2015: Carson Project Makes Ballot, City Council To Decide Next Step

Carson Stadium Project — The Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers would jointly share the Carson, California stadium if they are unable to secure new stadium deals in their current markets. Reuters/Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

A proposal to build an NFL stadium in Carson, California, that could one day welcome the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers to Los Angeles County received enough petition signatures Wednesday to be included on the city ballot. Officials could vote on the measure by next week, according to the Associated Press.

The Carson City Council can submit the $1.7 billion stadium proposal for local approval or to fast-track the project without a public vote. Many Carson residents have reportedly expressed support for the plan. Raiders and Chargers officials declared their intention in February to jointly pursue the Carson project if they were unable to secure new stadiums in their current markets.

"We are pursuing this stadium option in Carson for one straightforward reason: If we cannot find a permanent solution in our home markets, we have no alternative but to preserve other options to guarantee the future economic viability of our franchises,” the teams said in a joint statement, according to ESPN.

The proposed Carson stadium is one of two projects currently in competition to secure the NFL’s return to the Los Angeles market. The NFL hasn’t had a team in Los Angeles since 1995, when the Raiders left for Oakland and the Rams left for St. Louis.

The other Los Angeles-area project -- backed by Rams owner Stan Kroenke and a team of investors -- calls for a privately funded $1.86 billion, 80,000-seat stadium at the site of the old Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. Kroenke has threatened to move his franchise to Los Angeles County to play in the Inglewood stadium if Missouri officials won't fund a renovation of the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis or the construction of a brand-new stadium.

The Inglewood City Council unanimously approved the Hollywood Park plan in February. The vote allowed developers to begin construction on the project by as soon as this year without submitting to a public vote or an environmental review.