Pros and Cons to Building 49ers Stadium in Santa Clara

              Recently, a Santa Clara County judge ruled that the 49ers’ stadium proposal couldn’t be put back on the ballot for a second vote. This paves the way for the 49ers to begin construction on a new stadium in Santa Clara by July, which will be ready by the 2014 season. The plan is to build the stadium in a parking lot near Great America.

Pros:

The stadium will be closer for many fans.

The majority of the 49ers’ season ticket holders reside in Santa Clara County. Instead of driving over an hour, fans in Santa Clara County will get to the games at an average of 15 minutes, depending on traffic.  The stadium will also be closer for 49er fans in nearby counties such as Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito.

The stadium will be closer for the 49ers.

The 49ers’ practice facilities are located in Santa Clara and most of the players reside in Santa Clara County. I bet most 49er players can’t find the nearest ATM when they’re in the City. It’s probably a pain in the neck for 49er players to constantly commute to San Francisco on game days so playing closer to home should make life easier for them. 

Better traffic.

            In San Francisco, there are only two freeways near Candlestick Park, US 101 and Interstate 380. US 101 is the only freeway that you can enter Candlestick Park from.  This causes a lot of traffic on game days as the routes are limited to Candlestick Park. However, in Santa Clara you can reach the new stadium site from US 101 and Highway 237.  The stadium is also near Interstate 880 and Highway 87. Additionally, you can also access the new stadium from the Lawrence Expressway and San Tomas Expressway. In Santa Clara, there will be several routes near the new stadium that will make the flow of traffic less congested.                             Public transportation will also help ease traffic on game days. The new 49ers stadium will be located near a railroad that services Amtrak and other commuter rails. It is also next to a Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Light Rail station and a local bus stop.

Better weather.

            San Francisco is known for having cool weather. Most games require fans to wear sweatshirts and jackets. Santa Clara, however, has much warmer weather and gets less rain than the City. With the new stadium, expect more sunny days and more fans wearing just T-shirts.

More to do.

Candlestick is located in a residential neighborhood so there are no nearby restaurants or bars that people can go to before or after the games. The new location in Santa Clara is much different. The Stadium will be right next to Great America so families can take their kids on roller coasters after watching the 49ers play. There will also be a hotel next to the new location that will be built by time the stadium opens. This hotel will have a restaurant and sports bar that people can attend before the games. There are also many other restaurants nearby that people can visit after celebrating a 49ers victory.

Cons:

49ers history is in San Francisco.

The 49ers have played their entire franchise history in the City by the Bay. The City has hosted many great teams including five Super Bowl Champions. It’s the place where legends like Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, and Ronnie Lott thrived. Candlestick has seen many great playoff games and great plays like Dwight Clark’s “Catch”. It will take a long time for Santa Clara to witness the kind of history San Francisco did. Although the team is moving to Santa Clara, it’s heart will always be in San Francisco and its name will always be the San Francisco 49ers.

The stadium will be farther for many fans.

While fans in the South Bay will have an easier time traveling to the 49ers’ games, fans everywhere else in the Bay Area will have to travel more. Fans in Oakland and San Francisco will have to take the hour drive to Santa Clara and fans in the North Bay will have to travel even longer. Having the 49ers play in San Francisco was great because the city was centrally located in the Bay Area, however, Santa Clara is on the edge of the Bay Area benefitting only those fans closer to the South Bay.

No access to BART or Caltrain.

            Caltrain and BART are the public transits most fans use to get to sporting events in the Bay Area. Caltrain goes right to Candlestick Park and BART is close enough to the stadium that you can take shuttles to Candlestick Park with no problem.  On the other hand, BART does not go to Santa Clara County (although it eventually will) and Caltrain does not stop near the proposed stadium’s location. Caltrain passengers will have to either transfer at the Mountain View station and take the VTA Light Rail or take a shuttle from the Santa Clara Station. Without BART and Caltrain many fans may not be able to use public transportation to reach the new stadium.

Cost of the stadium.

            The city of Santa Clara is funding the stadium with several loans. The city expects to pay these loans off from the revenue the stadium generates. But what happens if the stadium doesn’t generate enough revenue? Some Santa Clara citizens worry that the city will have to use its tax dollars to pay off the stadium’s debt. The 49ers insist they will pay off any debts, but the fact that the stadium isn’t being funded directly by the 49ers concerns many people. Also, the cost of the police force that will be needed to secure the stadium on game days is a concern since Santa Clara doesn’t have the police force SF has.