Venue News: Three NFL Teams Submit Applications to Relocate to Los Angeles, Proposals for New Stadiums

With a solution to the NFL’s two-decade absence from Los Angeles appearing within reach, writes the Los Angeles Times, the league’s finance, stadium, and L.A. committees gathered in New York City to plot the way forward. The Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, and St. Louis Rams all submitted relocation applications to the league earlier this week. The league’s 32 owners will gather next week in Houston for a special meeting in hopes of solving the L.A. riddle. Any plan would need the votes of at least 24 owners to pass…

…Meanwhile, San Diego submitted a $1.1-billion proposal to build a new stadium for the Chargers to the NFL on Dec. 30, the deadline for three home markets to make their final pitches to retain their teams. St. Louis sent the league a plan on Dec. 29 for a $1.1-billion riverfront venue for the Rams. Oakland, which doesn’t have a formal proposal, wrote a letter outlining its strengths as a market and stadium concepts it could present to the Raiders…

…In the desire to enhance the game-day experience for their fans — and one-up the Chicago Cubs — the St. Louis Cardinals are working on upgrading Busch Stadium in time for the 2016 season, writes Fox Sports. Already gone are the outdated scoreboards in center field, soon-to-be replaced with new two HD LED video boards in the space. The old scoreboard was not HD compatible and was pair with amber light boards. With the changes, the new video board will be nearly three times larger than its predecessor with twice the resolution and brightness of the old board. The out-of-town scoreboard will be significantly larger as well with same HD quality as the other new screen…

…The Washington Redskins have hired Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group to design a new stadium for the team, according to an official familiar with the decision, a first formal step signifying the team’s intention to depart FedEx Field in Landover and build a new stadium elsewhere in the region. For more than a year the Redskins have been angling for support among local elected officials for a new stadium location despite the fact that the team’s lease at FedEx Field does not expire until 2027, writes the Washington Post…

…Now that the season is over for the Miami Dolphins, construction is set to get underway at Sunlife Stadium for new renovations, according to CBS Miami. Crews will begin building a massive canopy that will shield fans from the sun and rain. The canopy spans 672,000 feet around the stadium, leaving a cutout over the field. There will also be a drainage system to prevent water from pouring off the roof and into the crowd…

…Plans for the main stadium to be used in the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo were completed at the end of December after months of controversy during which officials scrapped their initial design choice, by the Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, because of soaring cost projections. The new design is the work of Kengo Kuma, 61, a Japanese architect known for creating graceful art museums, writes The New York Times. His plan, a traditional oval shape with a partial roof that incorporates exposed wooden beams and other natural touches, will be smaller and — its backers say — cheaper than Ms. Hadid’s.