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December 17, 2009
Great America owner sold, 49ers impact unknown
This just in: Cedar Fair, the owner of the Great America amusement park that's suing to stop the 49ers stadium slated for its parking lot in Santa Clara, has been sold to a private investment firm. Asked what this would mean for the stadium battle, an Apollo Global Management spokesperson told the San Jose Mercury News: "No comment. At this point, that's all I'm saying."
This doesn't change the 49ers ridiculous demands for a $114M (plus $330M more from a joint-powers authority) - it only changes who their negotiating partners are.
If the Great America theme park is seen as a non-producer, Apollo could order its Cedar Fair people to cut bait and sell the park. Of the eleven parks operated by CF: Santa Clara is the only one on a Ground Lease for land for which CF has no development rights.
If Apollo is angling for some more productive partnership with the 49ers - read, rip up the theme park to suit the 49ers or for other development - then I'm betting that the "49ers Friendlies" on our City Council will cave in and give them everything they want.
If that happens: We Santa Clarans can just kiss our "Entertainment District" goodbye - because the 49ers will never be able to carry that "district" by themselves with ten game nights a year.
How important is the Apollo deal? To find out, just watch carefully what the 49ers do over the next few weeks.
Bill Bailey
Santa Clara Plays Fair
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Posted by Bill Bailey on December 18, 2009 01:14 PM