LA Neighbors United, the group founded by City Controller hopeful Cary Brazeman, suggests in a letter to top city officials this week that alternatives to the downtown NFL stadium proposal have not at all been taken seriously.

The group wonders aloud why these alternatives haven't at least been seriously considered and ruled out:

The expansion of the Convention Center where the stadium would be built (if this is all about tourism dollars), redevelopment of the property with the addition of 1,000 hotel rooms, or even (gasp) the consideration of a different site, perhaps …

… Piggyback Yard, a 125-acre site along the urban L.A. River.

In the letter, sent to the Weekly, LA Neighbors write of the Yard idea:

It could conceivably accommodate the stadium, parking and other commercial uses, and still have room for recreation and park space that would benefit the nearby residents of Boyle Heights and Lincoln Heights.

Of course, the rest of us know why these things haven't been seriously considered by the city. Because the stadium plan was pushed through the council by the politician-friends of the billionaire-controlled corporation (Anschutz Entertainment Group) that wants this to happen.

The development watchdog's letter suggests ” … a 360-degree analysis of the proposed stadium deal” and seems to chastise the city for not even letting its own analysts have a serious crack at the stadium proposal:

The City employs brilliant analysts at the Community Redevelopment Agency and in the Community Development Department. Our understanding is that

they were not instructed to analyze alternatives including the concepts proposed here. We say unleash the analysts and let them analyze!

The group called the city's assessment of the 72,000 seat, $1.2 billion-plus stadium plan “superficial” so far.

AEG is asking for more than $300 in taxpayer-backed loans that it has guaranteed it would pay back, as well as use of the Convention Center property, which it says it would improve, to build this thing.

[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]

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