Rams break ground on new Inglewood stadium

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (FOX 11/ CNS) - In a week when Rams fans are looking forward to the quarterbacking debut of top draft pick Jared Goff, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held Thursday for the team's future home in Inglewood.

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Demoff, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Inglewood Mayor James Butts are among the dignitaries scheduled to attend the 11 a.m. ceremony at the site of the former Hollywood Park Racetrack.

The group will formally break ground on the stadium, which is expected to be open in time for the 2019 season.

Work to clear the site officially began about two years ago.

The stadium, with an estimated capacity of about 80,000, is expected to include 275 luxury suites, more than 16,000 premium seats and have nearly 3 million square feet of usable space. The overall project has a price tag
estimated at about $2.6 billion.

According to contractors, the stadium construction will provide more than 3,500 on-site construction jobs in Inglewood and more than 10,000 jobs by the time it is completed.

The stadium is expected to be the centerpiece of an entertainment and commercial center spanning roughly 300 acres.

The district is envisioned to include a roughly 6,000-seat arena, nearly 1.5 million square feet of retail and office space, 2,500 residential units and possibly a 300-room hotel, along with 25 acres of parks and open space.

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