Originally posted by 9erB4Us:
@ bigmur49
I am a resident of San Francisco, and I'm not gonna lie...I want the 49ers to remain playing Football in the City they have played in for 64 years...
The original plan was for Candlestick to be torn down, and to rebuild on the Candlestick Site. But after the York ownership came in they decided that they did not like the Candlestick Park site, due to traffic, and parking.
So our former Mayor, Gavin Newsom sugguested to the Yorks that the Hunter Point site for the 49ers might be better...the Yorks rejected it. And settled on Santa Clara.
But can you imagine a 49er Stadium like AT&T Park? It would be Outstanding!
All things being equal, I'd love the Niners to stay at that site....but things aren't equal.
Yes, Gavin Newsome suggested the Ex Navy Shipyard, but you neglect to mention the fact that there is ZERO freeway access to that site and traffic would be MUCH worse as the site is surrounded by water on 3 sides. It would actually require infrastrucure (roads, bridges) that would cost as much as the stadium to make the site viable. Oh, and lets not forget that the Navy Shipyard is currently a toxic waste site. Yes, they are cleaning it up, but try selling the idea to people that we are going to a game at a former toxic waste site.
As for not liking the site...thats not entirely correct.
The Yorks issue was that the stadium is just part of a huge revitalization effor in the Hunters Point area (for those who don't know, Hunters Point is a ghetto). The Stadium wouldn't get the entire site as it would now be surrounded by Condominiums and would require the construction of the worlds largest parking garage right next to the stadium. It would also eliminate the possibility of tailgating.
Moreover, the entire construction effore (stadium, parking garage, condominiums) would put 49er fans in a construction zone for the better part of a decade.
The SC site isn't perfect either, but it is within 1 mile of THREE major freeways, has light right access directly in front and heavy rail within a mile. It also has 3 lane roads (6 lanes both ways) on all sides. Its also right next to a golf course, the Santa Clara Convention Center, Great America and about SIX hotels within a mile. The entire area was CREATED for the purposes of an entertainment district.
Oh, and BTW, the 49ers EXISTING training facility is about 100 feet from the proposed site.
When I hear people scream about the 49ers "leaving" SF, its actually pretty comical.
1) The 49ers are only in SF 10 days a year. The other 355 they are in Santa Clara.
2) Its pretty insulting to suggest that the 49ers are solely the property of SF. The 49ers belong to the entire Bay Area, and Santa Clara (and San Jose which is larger in both size and population than SF) are in the Bay Area.
3) About HALF of the league doesn't play in teh city they have in their name. The Cowboy played in Irving for the past 30 years and just moved to Arlington. The Pats play in Foxboro. The Jets and Giants played in freakin' New Jersey.
Hell, some teams have names in their title that don't even exist!! Tampa Bay? It doesn't exist. The city is called Tampa. They are called Tampa Bay to get a larger fanbase.
Carolina? Find "Carolina" on a map. You can't. There is a North Carolina and a South Carolina. They are called Carolina to what? Thats right, get a larger fan base. Hell...even the Warriors!! Find "Golden State" on a map!!
One final note, and this likely won't be popular. There is SOOO much history and tradition that took place at Candlestick, but people forget how the Niners GOT to the 'stick in the first place. The MAYOR of SF owned the land that was almost worthless swampland and in what can only be called a conflict of interest, sold the land to the city for a stadium...WHILE HE WAS IN OFFICE. The stadium was NEVER a quality facility.
I love the 'stick as much as the next guy, but all this crap has to stop. Id the city comes up with a proposal that works in downtown, fantastic, I'm all for it. Hell, if they can come up with one that works at the Candlestick site, I'm for it. The problem tho is no matter how emotionally attached you are to that location or just the the Niners staying in SF, it isn't feasable.
[ Edited by Marvin49 on Jan 13, 2011 at 12:29 AM ]