:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/1166963/GYI0061606975.jpg)
The St. Louis Rams delivered their counter proposal to the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission on Tuesday, which was the deadline to do so. As far as what the Rams' vision for the Edward Jones Dome looks like, residents and fans are going to have to wait and see. The team said in a statement released Tuesday morning that the process will remain confidential, per the agreement of both sides.
The Rams' statement reads:
"This morning the Rams submitted the club's proposed plans to make the Edward Jones Dome a First Tier NFL stadium. Our lease sets forth a procedure and process to bring the Edward Jones Dome up to the First Tier standard. The process and procedure is confidential under the parties' agreements, and the Rams will continue to respect those confidentiality obligations."
The Rams would have to give permission to the CVC to release their plan, or release it themselves. On the surface, it looks like a potential violation of the Missouri Sunshine law, but this is protected because it deals with an ongoing real estate negotiation.
In February, the CVC presented a $124 million proposal to renovate the Dome. The Rams rejected that proposal, in a widely expected move, on March 1. That plan called for the Rams to pay 52 percent of the costs. The CVC's plan added additional premium seating to the Dome, but would have left the team among the league's lowest earners from suites and club seats, using data compiled in a stadium feasibility study for Los Angeles' Farmers Field.
The Rams and the CVC have until June 15 to hammer out a compromise. If no deal is done by that date, it goes to arbitration with a Dec. 31 deadline for a non-binding solution.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said prior to the draft that the Rams' lease situation was "not setting off alarm bells" with the league. That comment came after a breathless round of lobbying Minnesota legislative leaders to revive a compromise plan for a new stadium in Minneapolis.
If the Rams and the CVC do not reach an agreement on a plan to make the Dome a "top tier" facility, the Rams can leave their lease following the 2014 season.