At a time when Santa Clara is moving closer to building a new home for the 49ers, San Francisco has taken a big step toward keeping the team in the town where it always has played.
Specifically, an environmental review has been completed of, per the San Francisco Chronicle, the most ambitious redevelopment project in the city since the 1906 earthquake.
"This is a major milestone," Michael Cohen, head of San Francisco economic development office, told the Chronicle. "It's the kickoff of the final stretch."
Last month, the Santa Clara city council voted to utilize a California law permitting a proposed $937 million stadium to be constructed without public bidding, which allows the 49ers to hand pick the general contractor.
So the winners are, indeed, the 49ers. They now have two competing projects, which allows the team to play one against the other in the hopes of cutting the best possible deal.
San Fran making a push to keep the Niners
Posted by Mike Florio on November 13, 2009 9:12 PM ET
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Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, San Francisco 49ers, Top Stories
Latest stories in: Latest News and Rumors, NFL Mobile Exclusives - Rumors, San Francisco 49ers, Top Stories
And the Oakland A's are trying to move to San Jose as well, but the SF Giants are trying to block them.
screw the city of SF. Too little..too late. Anyways, all the season ticket holders are from the South Bay...
So many established franchises threatening moves...NFL teams moving is kindof a scary subject.
@Bob S.
Can you explain that?
I heard san fran likes to push a lot of things.... ha.
its just the way this business works. im sure theres way more to it.
"Anyways, all the season ticket holders are from the South Bay..."
Your "exactly" right. Unless you count all the season ticket holders from the City, the Peninsula, Marin County, the East Bay, and the Sacramento region.
Does the NFL kind of feel like an organized mob now-a-days. I mean they are pushing cities into giving them what they want or else, and "or else" being that they move.
Also, maybe it is just me, but it seems like Florida and California are the only major states that have football teams that could move. On top of that, it seems like those same teams are just trading cities within the same state that they reside in. Like the card game Go Fish.
the voters of santa clara still have to approve the stadium at great america. As a San franciscan, and a construction worker, I hope the Niners stay in the city. There is also no vote involved.
I live in Santa Clara and I am a Raiders fan so I could care less except it means pro football in my backyard.
It's over Santa Clara has won I don't think you understand because you don't live here but the battle is already over contracts have been signed the 49ers are moving to Santa Clara they will be here in 2012.
That would be awesome. The proposed site in SF is a waterfront dream stadium with awesome views. Imagine taking the ferry to the game like Giants fans.
Build in SF not in that dust bowl in Santa Clara. Ya the infra-structure at the SF proposed site needs work. Which the City and Lerner is willing to pay millions to improve. I'm hearing a mini-bridge straight to the park is being considered.
A waterfront stadium is a lot better than a dusty amusementfront stadium. BUILD IN SF!
this class sucks: The Giants have the territorial rights to San Ho; the A's can't relocate without their permission and they ain't givin' it.
From sportsbusinesssims.com:
"The A's can't move from Oakland to San Jose because the Major League Agreement (MLA) prohibits them from doing so.
The MLA, along with the Major League Rules, forms the basis for the operation of Major League Baseball and governs how the game is played. It also concerns territorial rules governing what land area organizations "control" and under what conditions they can move into another team's zone.
Between 1990 and 1994, the territorial rules were expanded to specify not just what area, but what counties constituted the zone of control for each team. In the case of the San Francisco Giants in the Bay Area, they control San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Monterey and Marin Counties, plus Santa Clara County. Santa Clara County includes the City of San Jose. By contrast, the A's preside over just two counties: Alameda County and Contra Costa County.
According to the MLA, the only way the A's can move into San Jose is if the Giants and a total of 75 percent of the teams in the National League consent to the move, and pay the Giants at least $100,000 plus any other estimated costs associated with the territorial invasion.
If the A's were fortunate enough to receive this permission, the Giants would lose at least 11 percent of their current fan base. A recent study commissioned by the Giants found that just over one of every ten persons came from San Jose to a game at SBC Park."
As a 49ers fan I don't really worry about it. It's not like they're going to be renamed the Santa Clara 49ers.
The headquarters have been at Santa Clara for a long time, and lets face it, the stick sucks. Unless they are going to rebuild Kezar (awesome, but yea right) they might as well build something further down the bay.
It's no worse than the Jets and Giants in New Jersey, the Cowboys in Irving, the Patriots at Foxborough or the Cardinals in Tempe.
Maybe they'll do like the Patriots and call the team "the bay area 49ers" just to see what the ol' cryptkeeper thinks of that. (Just kidding, that would f***ing suck)
I totally agree that as long as the name stays "San Francisco" 49ers, who cares if the play a few miles away in bumfuck. Many NFL teams named for a given city don't necessarily play with the city limits, so...
It's easy to identify Niner fans, they dress elegantly.
They also sit on their hands allot, unless they're doing the wave, because they love flailing their arms over their heads.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The Reds in San francisco will never build anything for football as long as their is one homeless person or sheltered puppy still needing a home.
Why should the city and people of San Francisco deserve the 49ers? I mean, they elected Nancy "Nazi" Pelosi. I hope the 49ers leave San Francisco....those people need to be taught a lesson.
Sad how some assholes can't keep their football, political views, and homophobia seperate from each other.
But hey, that's what makes an asshole an asshole.
It now a crime to de-claw a cat in California-- now that is a progressive society!
P.S. azure, are you like 8 yrs old are something?
Maybe when you get to mid-school you could enroll in a civics class & learn what a majority is.
Azure, we don't need to be taught sh*t. We'll happily keep our team and our 5 Lombardi trophies, thanks.
"The Reds in San francisco will never build anything for football as long as their is one homeless person or sheltered puppy still needing a home."
So true. The People's Republic of San Francisco will make sure to think for all of their citizens. If the 49ers left, it's because they thought for the people and decided it was the best option for the team to leave. Why not? They have the Dear Leader Pelosi.