Communities starting to push back rather than rollover on pro stadium deals?
Pasadena neighbors of the Rose Bowl are not exactly embracing a return of pro football to their community with cries of NFLYes!:
Joggers, kite-fliers, soccer teams, picnickers and bicyclists are displaced, in the official vernacular of the weekend upheaval. People who live on the gorgeous slopes of Linda Vista, with sweeping views across the Arroyo Seco and the July 4 fireworks display over the Rose Bowl, are all but trapped in their homes by an invasion of 25,000 cars.
“We just can’t have the Arroyo being shut down virtually every weekend from August to January,” said Mike Vogler, a leader of the opposition. “It’s detrimental to our home values. There’s an element of the N.F.L. that brings crime, drunk driving and fights that we’ve seen all over the nation.”
Nina R. Chomsky, the president of the Linda Vista/Annandale Association, described the proposed expansion as an assault on a treasured part of this community. “We love and value the central Arroyo: it’s our Central Park,” she said.
