Two plans that would "transform an area" near Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara "into a massive retail, entertainment and office complex came into focus Friday when developers for the first time unveiled renderings and details," according to John Woolfolk of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The developers "pulled back the curtain on their vision in advance" of a Santa Clara City Council session on Wednesday. Pro Football HOFer Joe Montana's Montana Property Group "teamed up with Lowe Enterprises" to propose a $400M "Centennial Gateway" luxury hotel, office and entertainment project on 9.5 city-owned acres across the street from Levi's Stadium. Santa Clara officials said that they will "work out the terms" of a lease with the Montana group after Wednesday's meeting. Montana and his partners said that they are "now planning" to have their project ready for Super Bowl L in '16 at Levi's Stadium. Related California also detailed plans for a $1.5B "City Place Santa Clara" retail, entertainment, residential, hotel and office project "on 215 acres of city-owned land." City officials said that those lease details "also are pending." The officials, along with developers, stressed that "both projects are in early phases and that there likely will be changes to accommodate public comment, council feedback and environmental studies" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/26).
LEFT HIS HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO: Montana on Friday spoke at a fan forum in London, and addressed the 49ers moving from S.F. to Santa Clara, saying, "I don't think there was really any -- without naming anybody -- an effort by the people in power to try to keep the team there. To me, they made a terrible effort to try to keep them in San Francisco." But Montana added of Levi's Stadium, "Once the fans see and taste that experience, they're going to be happy they're out in Santa Clara. Candlestick is just very, very outdated. Not only that for the home team, for the teams coming in, it's just not very fun. Once the stadium is up, everyone will be happy and won't care where it's located" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 10/26).
I'M GONNA SOAK UP THE SUN: In S.F., David Baker noted "solar panels -- many of them installed early this month -- will supply a portion" of Levi's Stadium's electricity. With "a peak output of 375 kilowatts, the 1,150 panels will provide just a fraction of the power needed" on the 49ers' gamedays. But over the course of a year, the panels will "generate about as much electricity as the 68,500-seat stadium will consume during its 10 home games." The installation, designed by NRG Energy with panels supplied by San Jose-based SunPower Corp., will "serve as an illustration of what solar power can do." NRG would not reveal how much electricity Levi's Stadium is expected to need during a game, but the S.F. Public Utilities Commission said that Candlestick Park "can top 3.4 megawatts on game day" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/26).
