Dodger Bidder Would Raze Stadium, Put One Downtown

In a rare interview, the chairman and chief executive of Beverly Hills-based Casden Properties made clear his passion for baseball -- and laid out a blueprint for moving the Dodgers from their home field atop Chavez Ravine to downtown Los Angeles near Staples Center.

Casden contended that by razing Dodger Stadium and relocating the team a few miles down the 110 Freeway, he could offer a markedly better experience for fans -- and at the same time provide thousands of new housing units in Chavez Ravine.

All in all, Casden said, his proposal amounts to "a $1-billion commitment to the city."

Casden's plan remains, at least at this stage, little more than a dream in his head. For starters, he is not even the front-runner in the bidding for the Dodgers, according to sources close to the team. The team's owner, News Corp., is hoping to cut a deal with Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Malcolm Glazer.

But Glazer's $360-million offer for the Dodgers has run into some problems, sources say, related to his financing and his proposed management structure for the team. If those issues can't be resolved, that might open the door for others including Casden, who is thought to have put the largest offer on the table, at $400 million.

Even then, there would be many obstacles in front of him. Casden himself acknowledged that obtaining approval to build housing in the area is far from a sure thing. "It would depend on what the city would allow you to do," he said. Earning entitlements to build would be "an arduous task."

A spokeswoman for Mayor James K. Hahn said he had no comment on Casden's plans. A spokesman for News Corp. couldn't immediately be reached Thursday.

The 57-year-old Casden is no novice when it comes to turning a vision into reality. Known for his brusque, no-nonsense demeanor, Casden is listed on the Forbes 400 list of wealthy Americans with an estimated net worth of $800 million. He has developed or acquired more than 90,000 apartments in a career that dates to the 1970s.

In addition to building upscale apartments, including the luxury Palazzo project recently completed next to Park La Brea in Los Angeles, Casden has been heavily involved in developing low-income housing.