February 15, 2010
Oakland to study shared Niners-Raiders stadium
And we're back to this again: The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority Board is about to conduct a "feasibility study" of building a new NFL stadium either on or adjacent to the site of the Oakland Coliseum, for the Raiders and possibly the San Francisco 49ers as well.
A shared 49ers-Raiders stadium, a la the new New York Jets-Giants facility opening this year, has already been endorsed by the NFL, and 49ers owner Jed York said he'd consider moving to Oakland, though it's unclear how much that's a ploy to get Santa Clara and San Francisco to up their antes for stadium bids. Especially since Alameda County supervisor Gail Steele promised that no public funds would be used in building a new stadium, given that the county still owes $150 million on its ill-fated renovations to the Coliseum 15 years ago. Though as readers of this site know, there are public funds and then there are public funds.
December 21, 2009
49ers: We like Oakland better than SF
The San Francisco 49ers situation keeps getting weirder and weirder. In the latest twist, 49ers president Jed York said in an interview Friday (but published yesterday in the San Francisco Chronicle) that if Santa Clara doesn't work out, Oakland would make a better home for the team than San Francisco. The Oakland Coliseum "has the location and the infrastructure. It's right on a freeway, and it has BART access," said York. "At this point, Oakland just makes more sense."
The NFL has already declared its preference for the 49ers and Raiders sharing a stadium, so it would certainly work out from that perspective. As for how fans of the two rival teams would feel about it, the comments on this site probably say it best.
December 11, 2009
More shots fired in 49ers stadium war
Speaking of Bay Area bidding wars, San Francisco responded to this week's activity in Santa Clara by issuing new renderings of its own planned 49ers stadium yesterday (coming on the heels of last month's new renderings).
"These illustrations not only show how dramatic a new stadium could be for San Francisco, but they also show how this entire project is going to completely rejuvenate an entire community," Mayor Gavin Newsom told a press conference. First FoS reader to find the rejuvenation in the illustrations wins a free prize!
Meanwhile, NBC Sports football blogger Mike Florio cites a "league source" as telling him that the NFL would prefer that the 49ers and the Raiders share a stadium, since one would be cheaper to build than two. That source wouldn't be the NFL commissioner ten months ago, would it?
November 19, 2009
Raiders re-up in Oakland through 2013
In what has to be classified as a major surprise, the Oakland Raiders have agreed to a three-year lease extension at the Oakland Coliseum, keeping the team there through 2013 — and are even agreeing to a $5 million a year rent hike.
"To be honest, I was looking for more money," city councilman (and Coliseum Authority co-chair) Ignacio de la Fuente tells the San Francisco Chronicle, noting that stadium operations and debt on Mount Davis currently comes to $12 million a year. "The reality is that the original Raiders deal did not work out very well for us, but at this point, we might as well try to work out a long-term lease and a long-term solution."
Unless there are further details that are going unreported (like, say, hidden rent kickbacks), this seems like a pretty good negotiating job by de la Fuente, especially given the threat posed by the new Los Angeles stadium. (Though it's worth noting that wouldn't be built until at least 2012, so the Raiders presumably needed to extend their lease for at least one year.) The city, county, and stadium authority all still need to sign off on the deal, which is expected by the end of the year.
October 07, 2009
L.A. developers target six (or seven) NFL teams
Majestic Realty stadium czar John Semcken has officially announced his hit list for NFL franchises to lure to Los Angeles, and it looks like the L.A. Times guessed right:
Semcken said new talks would begin after the Super Bowl in February, and may involve the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Buffalo Bills, the Minnesota Vikings, the St. Louis Rams, the Chargers and the Oakland Raiders.
The San Francisco 49ers could also be pursued if a vote for a new stadium in Santa Clara fails.
Semcken said a new stadium could open in 2013, but a team could be relocated as early as next year or the year after, playing at a temporary site for the first couple of years.
In related news, Majestic owner Ed Roski has lost $1 billion of his $2.5 billion net worth in the last year, according to Forbes, thanks to the California real estate crash. Stadium consultant Marc Ganis calls this "significant"; Majestic says it's just a flesh wound.
July 08, 2009
Oakland taxes county, A's tax fans
The new budget passed by the city of Oakland includes an 18.5% city tax on parking at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, something that's allowed by law, but Oakland is only just now getting around to doing because of the fiscal crisis infecting every corner of California. (Have I mentioned the IOUs?) Under the A's and Raiders lease agreements with the Coliseum, however, the teams are allowed to deduct any parking taxes from their rent payments — meaning the city is effectively siphoning off money from the county, which promptly responded by suing the city.
None of which stopped the A's from immediately announcing that they'd be raising parking fees by $2 per car effective immediately in order to pay for the tax — which, in case you were napping during that last paragraph, the A's won't actually have to pay. "In an effort to reduce the impact to our fans, the A's are only passing along a portion of the new tax," A's president Mike Crowley told the Oakland Tribune. Voila!
February 17, 2009
Raiders float renovated Coliseum, with malls
The Oakland Raiders have proposed renovations to the Oakland Coliseum as part of a larger development with retail stores, condos, restaurants. San Francisco Chronicle columnist Ray Ratto speculates that this is just a ploy to counter talk of sharing a stadium with the San Francisco 49ers.
SF Weekly's Joe Eskenazi is skeptical as well, quoting our own Neil deMause to the effect that "football is a terrible anchor" for development. To Raiders CEO Amy Trask's suggestion that the Baltimore Ravens stadium helped spur development of that city's Inner Harbor, deMause replies: "Given that the entire inner harbor was developed five to 10 years before the Ravens stadium opened, that's a neat trick."
February 03, 2009
Goodell: Everybody gets a new stadium!!!
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had a busy weekend. In between watching some football game, he took time out to address the stadium situation of three of his league's teams. Needless to say, in no case did he say, "Enh, they're fine where they are":
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell conceded Friday that the 49ers and Raiders stadiums must be replaced, and he said that a shared stadium facility may be the best option in a credit challenged economy racked by recession and job losses.
Asked whether he and the NFL have determined that a joint stadium should replace the decaying Oakland Coliseum and Candlestick Park, Goodell said, "The point that you point out here is that this facility is badly needed in the Bay Area. We have asked both teams to evaluate the possibility of a shared stadium.
"We can't come to a conclusion right now if that's the best option. And in these times, when it's more challenging to get these stadiums built, we have to be more creative."
Nice touch with the "decaying," there - usually the adjective of choice is "crumbling" or "outmoded," but the stench of maggots really gives some extra zest to the image.
In any case, the real news here is that 1) the NFL has sided with the two-team option as the best bet for a new Bay Area stadium, and 2) they still don't have a clue who'd pay for it. Goodell mentioned the New York Jets and Giants stadium as a precedent, but that was able to draw off league suite revenues under the now-defunct G3 program; without outside aid, it's not clear whether the Raiders and 49ers would be any better able to make money going halfsies at a new stadium than building one apiece. In which case, you'd think they might be just as well staying put - but we can't have that, can we, Commissioner?
"I know [owners] Zygi Wilf and Mark Wilf want to continue to have the Minnesota Vikings in Minnesota in a new stadium and I share that," Goodell said during his state of the NFL address in Tampa, Fla. "They have worked very hard to be able to get to that point. They have understood the priorities of the community, they have stood by and they've allowed the baseball stadium and the Gophers [football] stadium to move forward because they recognize those priorities and there are always priorities in the community.
"I think we have to continue to work with the governor and the leadership in that community to understand those priorities and figure out how we get a new stadium built. That is necessary for the Vikings. We all want the Vikings to be there in the long term, successfully. They need a new stadium, that's clear. I think it's recognized by all parties and we need to get down to the difficult business of figuring out how to do it."
Clearly not.
January 10, 2009
Niners to consider Raiders stadium share?
The San Francisco 49ers on Friday acknowledged that the battered economy likely will slow down their plans to build a new stadium in Santa Clara and now has them willing to discuss a once unthinkable option - sharing a new home with their cross-bay rival, the Raiders.
This isn't the first time the notion of a shared 49ers-Raiders stadium - who knows where - has been floated, but it is the first time the 49ers have publicly said they'd consider it, albeit only if they keep getting nowhere with their own Santa Clara plans. If the teams do end up sharing digs, it could provide another option for the similarly stadium-stymied Oakland A's: Stay put at the Oakland Coliseum and tear down the Raiders-inspired "Mount Davis," which most Bay Areans seem to agree is the only thing that ruined the place for baseball.