Even without NFL stadium, LA moves forward on convention center expansion

The city of Los Angeles wants to move full speed ahead with plans to remodel their downtown convention center, but that could be harder now that AEG has officially abandoned plans to build a stadium downtown.

Three years ago, AEG signed an agreement with the city, promising funds from a stadium would finance a new $350 million wing of the convention center.

"It's certainly better if someone else is paying for those renovations," said councilman Curren Price (CD-9). “That was always the attraction of the stadium, that they were going to be renovating the convention center."

Without those funds, Price doesn’t know how the convention center expansion will be paid for, but he says the city has been commissioning designs for the expansion that don't include Farmer's Field, a stadium proposal many assumed was dead well before the company made it official this week.

“We were trying to plan ahead, and keep our options open,” he said.

AEG declined to make anyone available for this story.

In statement released Monday AEG Vice-Chairman Ted Fikre said:  "Our focus is on the continued development of the L.A. LIVE district, and assisting the City of Los Angeles with development of its Convention Center and the downtown core."

AEG still has four years left on its deal to operate the convention center. It’s also paying $750,000 to cover the cost of new design and environmental reviews for the expansion. (In December, the city removed AEG from a committee to review design proposals after concerns about a conflict of interest.)

This week, the company said it would add 755 rooms to one its LA Live hotels, the JW Marriott.

“I think they are certainly still gung-ho on the city,” said Price.