49ers Officials, Architects Unveil Santa Clara Stadium Plans

49ers, HNTB Architecture Present Santa Clara Council With Plans For 68,500-Seat Stadium

LOOKING FOR CLARA-TY: In S.F., Robert Selna reported that if Santa Clara builds a $900M stadium and lands the 49ers “in exchange for $100[M] in public subsidies, it will have pulled off one of the best deals in NFL history." However, observers note the deal "includes hidden costs, lost opportunities and unanswered questions, making it unclear how good a bargain it truly is." Approximately $100M of the $900M cost "would come from public funds, and stadium concessions and licenses would contribute" about $300M. The 49ers have said that they are "taking responsibility for the rest.” Fixed rent payments "would start at $180,000 in the first year and escalate to $1.5[M] by the end of the contract," and over the 40-year term of the deal rent is estimated at $1M per year. Meanwhile, non-NFL events are "expected to pay $4[M] in annual rent, and temporary construction and game-day jobs are part of the deal." But critics "point out that the rent from the non-NFL events, such as concerts and college bowl games -- which is not guaranteed -- adds up to more than 80[%] of the total rent estimates” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/14).

Writer Feels City Of S.F. Needs To Help 49ers Find Private Funding

PAST & PRESENT: In a front-page piece for the S.F. CHRONICLE, John King compares the current 49ers situation to the MLB Giants' efforts to leave S.F. in '92. In the case of the 49ers, there is "no sign of the multi-tiered effort that confounded skeptics and derailed then-Giants owner Bob Lurie's efforts to sell the team to investors in far-off Tampa Bay." Instead, there is "tacit acceptance that, for now, the decision is in the hands of Santa Clara voters." The "most passionate political opponent" of the 49ers' potential move has been U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), but none of the efforts have "added up to a sustained campaign to deter the 49ers." Efforts to keep the 49ers in S.F. have not made a "visible impression" on the NFL, and "except for the dismay of ardent fans, there's little sign of public concern." Former Giants Managing General Partner Peter Magowan said he is "surprised there hasn't been more of a campaign" to keep the 49ers. Magowan: "But I don't see it as comparable." Magowan added, "No politician wants to lose a team on their watch, but they didn't really fight that hard" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/15).

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