November 01 2012
Joint Statement of Play Fair Coalition and AEG Regarding Farmers Field
November 1, 2012: The Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition and AEG are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement resolving concerns raised by the Play Fair Coalition regarding the proposed Farmers Field project. With this agreement, recent litigation filed by the Play Fair Coalition was dismissed, clearing the path for Farmers Field to proceed without any further legal obstacles.
The Play Fair Coalition has secured commitments from Farmers Field on a wide range of community benefits and measures, including funding for affordable housing, air quality improvement projects, improvements serving bus riders, additional parks and open space, neighborhood improvement plans, and a community team to promote health in the surrounding area. The centerpiece of the agreement reached by AEG and the Play Fair Coalition is a $15 million Housing Trust Fund which will create affordable housing units in Pico-Union, South L.A. and Downtown Los Angeles.
Tim Leiweke, President and CEO of AEG: "This began as a legal negotiation but soon evolved into a cooperative dialogue about how we could work together to achieve the common goal of serving the needs of all segments of the community on important issues such as affordable housing. We are excited about the opportunity for our foundations, our corporate partners and the rest of the philanthropic community to play an active role in leveraging the good will of AEG and Farmers Field to help deliver even greater benefits to those most in need. With this important milestone, for the first time in almost two decades the City of Los Angeles is finally poised to see the return of the NFL. With this settlement in place, the project can move forward to spur job creation and offer an even more robust package of measures benefitting the community."
Martha Dina Arguello, Executive Director of Physicians for Social Responsibility: "This agreement demonstrates that economic development can go hand in hand with important environmental objectives around air quality, health promotion and reduction of automobile trips."
AEG has also committed to a pilot transportation program establishing key principles and measures that will help the project meet the rigorous trip reduction standards mandated by SB292. In addition, AEG and the Play Fair Coalition have agreed to a community input process, a public safety working group and access for small local vendors to participate during events at Farmers Field. The agreement also strengthens and extends local hiring, living wage and disadvantaged worker initiatives already committed to by AEG.
Wesley Walker, a board member of the Los Angeles Community Action Network: "We got involved in this issue because of the important community health issues like housing, public safety and access to jobs. The settlement agreement includes many measures to meet the community's goals in these areas."
Joining with AEG and the Play Fair Coalition in this groundbreaking agreement are Los Angeles Community Action Network, Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles and plaintiffs in the SB 292 litigation that was dismissed, including Pete Ares, Steve Richardson, Karl Manheim and Gary Williams. Plaintiffs were represented by Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Hadsell, Stormer, Richardson & Renick, LLP, and Robert D. Newman.
AEG
Michael Roth
Vice President, Communications
mroth@aegworldwide.com
(213)742-7155
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Nina Andro
Director of External Affairs and Marketing
Nandro@lafla.org
323.801.7908
