However, not all neighbors are pleased with the city's move. Some who may be affected by the proposed stadium say they were not given proper notice of the meeting.

"We were caught off guard," said Jose Bentley, who lives in the Rose Garden Neighborhood. "We wanted a discussion on how city leaders would mitigate any issue to protect the neighborhood. There never has been a meeting scheduled like that. This concerns and worries us."

Residents had until Jan. 3 to give their concerns to city planners for the first-comment period.

City planner Akoni Danielsen said the city met the appropriate requirement in alerting property owners within 1,000 feet of the proposed stadium.

The council is looking at 17 parcels bounded by Autumn Street and the railroad tracks near the Diridon train station to build the proposed sports stadium. The stadium would hold 45,000 attendants and include a five-story parking structure with a pedestrian bridge across Park Avenue to connect the garage to the ballpark. The stadium would feature a combination of commercial spaces and restaurants.

Randi Kinman, president of the Burbank Del Monte Neighborhood Advisory Committee, who attended the December meeting, said her top worries included traffic, especially if the stadium and the nearby arena run events at the same time. Kinman also worried about neighborhood parking and lights for night games. The proposed stadium calls for lights that could top 200 feet in height but would not exceed 260 feet. The stadium and scoreboards would reach at most 200 feet, according to a city report.

The proposed configuration of the stadium means relocating a fire department training facility that sits on a 5-acre parcel that city leaders initially earmarked as park space for the community.

The redevelopment agency approved $700,000 for feasibility studies and the environmental impact report in November in addition to $5.7 million for the city purchase the Stephens Meat Products lot. The former sausage factory is the first lot of 13 parcels targeted for the stadium site that the city has purchased. The city has already made offers on four other parcels.

The EIR will look at potential effects of the project, including transportation, noise and aesthetics. LSA Associates, a planning consulting firm in Berkeley, will conduct the EIR. The draft EIR is scheduled for completion in February. Residents will have 45 days to comment on the draft before the city prepares a final report, due in May.