Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
By Mike Swift
Mercury News
San Francisco officials today plan to unveil how a new pro football stadium would be the keystone of a massive real estate development on Candlestick Point, giving the public a first look at a waterfront project the San Francisco 49ers say can't work.
The hearing today before the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will provide a window into what has driven the city and the team apart in their decadelong effort to replace Monster Park, one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL.
The 49er officials -- who met again Monday with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom -- have now focused their efforts on building a new stadium by 2012 in Santa Clara, saying that cramming 6,500 homes, retail and what could become the world's largest parking garage into the tight confines of Candlestick Point has become too troublesome.
In an e-mail addressed to ``Dear Friends,'' Jed York, whose parents own the team, explained the 49ers' position and apologized ``for not reaching out to everyone personally. This decision was extremely difficult for my family to make. We would love to have a new stadium in San Francisco, but we do not think it is realistic to open a new stadium in the next few years and deliver the desired game-day experience in San Francisco.''
York wrote that he had received a death threat on his office voice mail and was especially disheartened Sunday to hear ``fans boo my parents as we honored Jerry Rice. . . . There is no way I will allow such obstacles to keep me from achieving my goals.''
Newsom reported little progress Monday after his one-hour meeting with Jed York and Larry MacNeil, the 49ers' chief financial officer.
``The only way we're going to convince them is by working through these issues, and that's not going to happen overnight. It's going to take some time,'' Newsom said. ``To me that's the most significant part of the meeting today, that good faith continues, and I hope they feel the same way on both sides.''
Newsom said the city broached the possibility of a second potential stadium site in San Francisco, at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, in his meeting Monday. 49ers officials said, however, that Hunters Point was thoroughly investigated years ago and found wanting as a stadium site.
``It was thoroughly explored and it was determined that it was not a viable option, but again now that there's so much attention on it, maybe there's some solution that the city comes up with'' that would make a stadium there work, said Lisa Lang, a 49ers spokeswoman.
Still, York wrote in his e-mail, Santa Clara remains the front-runner for a new stadium.
``Keeping the 49ers in the Bay Area is essential,'' he wrote. ``We have looked at many sites, but the one in Santa Clara is the best option to date. There is sufficient space for tailgate parties and numerous public transportation options for fans.''
In an interview Monday, 49ers officials took issue with the city's stance that John York had essentially ambushed the city by pulling out of talks for a new stadium at Candlestick Point on Nov. 8.
The 49ers say they repeatedly warned their development partner, Lennar, and city officials as early as Sept. 5 about their concerns. The team is worried that a massive parking garage and a disruptive construction schedule would negatively affect fans' game-day experience.
``I was in meetings where there were very heated discussions about those issues, and I can't imagine sitting in those meetings and not knowing that the project was in jeopardy in September and October,'' Lang said.
Sam Singer, a spokesman for Lennar, disagreed.
``There never was a question in Lennar's mind, or in the city's mind, that the 49ers were going to proceed with a stadium at Candlestick Point,'' said Singer, who also represented the 49ers until resigning last week. ``The question was how they were going to proceed with a stadium, not if they were going to proceed.''
Financially, the complex of housing and more than 400,000 square feet of retail and entertainment attractions is necessary to bankroll a privately financed stadium that could cost at least $600 million.
The team says to make the project work the developer or taxpayers would need to add $765 million in infrastructure, including a new interchange at Highway 101, new bridges and a transit link. Highway access and transit links already exist at the team's alternative stadium site in Santa Clara.
``The size and the complexity of the development created risk to the overall project and to the time frame,'' Lang said. ``Because when you're looking at $750 million in infrastructure, that is indicative of the complexity of the project, and you start to go down that road regarding a project of this size and scope, and you want to make sure you're going to be able to get to the end.''