|
|
|
|
|
Measure J victory gets 49ers new stadium in 2014
By David Zizmor June 8, 2010 |
|||
|
|
|||
|
SANTA CLARA--In what is one of the biggest days in 49ers history the 49ers are ready to shed Candlestick Park and playing in San Francisco as they're long time home since 1946 and are set to move to Santa Clara at Great America Park in 2014 after their crowning moment came on Tuesday night when Santa Clara voters voted yes for measure J getting the 49ers their first step towards their coveted new stadium. 49ers owner John York has yet to talk to the media a press time but sources say he was jubilant over the results of the election, "it makes it a lot easier to get a stadium built in Northern California it's now full go ahead in Santa Clara" York said while addressing campaigners at the American Legion hall in Santa Clara. Yet the team must secure hundreds of millions of dollars to get the project off the ground which will amount to close to a billion dollars when the project is said and done in 2014. The stadium is expected to be built next to Great America, as far as public transit was concerned there is only light rail that comes to great America and part of construction includes building accessible public transit to the stadium from Caltrain in Santa Clara running VTA light rail from the station to the new stadium. The win for measure J was overwhelming it polled at 58% to 38% with 13,000 votes counted at press time and 25,000 total votes casted. Voters in spite of the economic downturn voted for the measure and a $114 million public contribution and $42 million in redevelopment money the measure still passed. Stadium opponents were out spent by the 49ers $4 million to $20,000. Will Kennedy who was a big opponent in the campaign on No on measure J said that he will tip his hat to the winners and knows he and the opponents of the measure fought the good fight, "It's the people's city, the people made a decision." Amongst arguments by opponents were environmental issues and questions concerning was there hidden costs involved later. Parking and traffic was also raised as a issue. The opponents also had issue with the $114 million of public contribution money and the $42 million of redevelopment money. None the less in less than two years if the 49ers can raise the money and get help from the city the ground breaking is scheduled for 2012 and completion 2014. The 49ers should have no trouble developing corporate business in Santa Clara. The 49ers had a bond measure pass in San Francisco when former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown got the measure to pass. The team never got the money to build the stadium and DeBartolo was involved in a gambling scheme in Louisiana and lost money in law suits and had to step down as owner of the team in 2000. Initially getting the measure took some doing from the Santa Clara council members when they debated about noise, traffic, mass transit, dealing with rowdy fans after games, tailgating in the neighborhoods and bright lights. Sportstalk's former reporter Ralph Gora who lives in Santa Clara voted no on the measure because the cost, traffic issues and tie ups to get home from the freeway. David Zizmor covers 49ers football for Sportstalk Radio |
|||
|
|
|||
|
|
|||