Pasadena preparing to pitch NFL on Rose Bowl plan. (Up Front).

With just a week to go before National Football League owners gather in Philadelphia for their annual spring meeting, Pasadena's bid to bring a pro team to the Rose Bowl is not even on the agenda.

That might well change, but not before the city of Pasadena gives the Rose Bowl Operating Co. the go-ahead to begin discussions.

The Pasadena City Council will hold a closed-door session on Tuesday (13th) to discuss the proposal, followed by a public hearing and vote on May 19, one day before the May 20-21 NFL owners meeting.

Council approval would signal to the NFL that the city was behind the idea to renovate the 81-year-old stadium. Pasadena Councilman Steve Madison, who represents the neighborhoods around the Rose Bowl, said the stadium proposal has helped ease concerns among residents about preserving the facility's historical status, as well as the natural environment of the Arroyo Seco.

Not everyone is on the bandwagon quite yet.

"There is concern that the City Council has not made much of an effort to take this (plan) out on the road' said Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage, a historic preservationist organization. "The timeline is very short and it's being driven by the NFL. That's alarming to many people."

Still, there is growing sentiment that the recent proposal represents a marked improvement over the often-quixotic efforts to lure the league back to the region during the past decade.

One difference between this and earlier efforts involves the possible method of financing stadium construction and the manner by which Pasadena would obtain an NFL team.

Although details remain fuzzy, the league is anticipated to contribute a portion of the $500 million stadium cost directly, while deriving other revenue for the improvements through naming rights and some type of equity package. A rebuilt Rose Bowl could also expect to host the Super Bowl every four or five years.

"As far as the revenue streams, we're working through that. But it's clear that this would be a powerful revenue-generating facility," said Darryl Dunn, general manager of the Rose Bowl. "We'd be talking about a consistent stream of Super Bowls. One every four or five years."

And unlike Los Angeles officials, whose pitch for an NFL team in the Coliseum is dependent on luring an individual owner, Pasadena would rely on the NFL to deliver a team -- either by relocating a current franchise or awarding an expansion team.

"The league wants to be in the Los Angeles area for all the obvious reasons, but they haven't identified the right platform' Madison said. "They wouldn't invest that kind of money if they weren't going to bring a team."

Competitive edge

Another difference with the Pasadena plan is the involvement of Baltimore investment banker John Moag, who spearheaded the successful effort to build a new stadium in Cleveland and get an expansion franchise for that city.

The Rose Bowl has hired Moag to broker a deal with the NFL, and he stands to make up to $5 million if he can deliver a team.

"He has a lot of experience working with our league and he has a track record of success in terms of bringing a stadium to life," said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello. He added that the Pasadena plan could be added to the agenda if the council gives the OK to begin negotiations.

Madison said that would almost certainly happen. However, the city could seek alterations to accommodate constituents concerned about traffic, noise and environmental issues. And the city is likely to ask for existing Rose Bowl bond debt to be retired as part of a deal.

Mossman acknowledged that the current plan is "light years ahead" of previous proposals to remake the Rose Bowl, but she added that serious questions must be answered about impacts on surrounding neighborhoods and the Arroyo Seco, Pasadena's largest swath of parkland.

Under the proposal, the Rose Bowl would be reconfigured to 64,000 seats from the current 92,000. St Louis-based architecture firm HOK submitted a plan that would preserve the facility's historic facade while adding 140 luxury suites above the stadium rim on two sides. A concourse would be built, along with 2,000 underground parking spaces.

As for securing a team, Dunn said the Pasadena deal would be modeled after Moag's stadium deal in Cleveland. In that case, the NFL guaranteed an expansion or transfer franchise to the new owners when they built a stadium.

Other contenders

Meanwhile, the L.A. City Council's Ad Hoc Stadium Committee last week selected the Coliseum as the preferred site among three locations identified by the city as possible stadium locales.

Even so, Councilman Bernard Parks, in whose district the Coliseum is located, acknowledged that, "We are not even at the table because we can't put together a deal in which we can even attract a discussion from the NFL."

Parks said the city had little alternative but to lobby for the Coliseum by emphasizing the positive changes taking place in Exposition Park, such as the rebuilt California Science Center.

Carson continues to market a 157-acre parcel adjacent to the San Diego (405) Freeway as a possible stadium site, and Aiello confirmed that the NFL has spoken to city officials in the past month or so.

"The NFL knows we're here and it knows we're interested' said Ronald Winkler, general manager of economic development for the city of Carson.

Finally, there is Chavez Ravine, which, with its privately owned land, sweeping city views and central location, remains an intriguing possibility for the NFL.

"The wildcard in this whole thing is what's going to happen at Dodger Stadium. That could deal a death blow to both the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum," said David Carter, principal at the Sports Business Group, who has worked with both Pasadena and Los Angeles on NFL deals. "Whoever buys the Dodgers, that will tell how the dominoes will fall for football in L.A."

Aiello said there have been no discussions about building a football stadium next to Dodger Stadium.