A plan by to build a 72,000-seat football stadium near Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles was passed 9-0 by the city's Planning Commission on Thursday, setting up a likely vote by the City Council in two weeks.
The concluded that the economic benefits of Anschutz Entertainment Group's project outweigh the "significant and unavoidable" impacts it will have on traffic, air quality, noise and light glare, the Los Angeles Times reported.
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One major complication remains, however, as an attorney from the Natural Resources Defense Council warned a separate Council committee on Thursday that a lawsuit filed by anti-poverty and environmental activists could derail the plans.
David Pettit of the NRDC, which is not involved in the lawsuit and supports the stadium, said Thursday that legal action from the Play Fair at Farmers Field Coalition could "take down the entire project" and encouraged mediation with the stadium developer. The group wants AEG to provide $60 million for affordable housing over the next 30 years to serve the stadium's low-wage workers.
The coalition is suing over a state law passed to fast-track legal challenges to Farmers Field.
AEG and the city want a plan finalized by March, when they hope they can convince an NFL owner to move a team to Los Angeles.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
