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.
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.
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.
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