Santa Clara Megaprojects

There are plans for two massive development projects around the new 49ers Stadium in Santa Clara. The first is a $1.5 billion dollar project (more than the cost of the stadium) that would include 1.5 million SQFT of retail (this is more retail than all of Valley Fair mall), 2.4 million SQFT of office, a 200 room hotel, and 500 residential units. You can see the first conceptual drawing below and the soonest it would break ground is 2016.

The second is a $400 million project led by Joe Montana that would consist of two hotels totaling 235 rooms, 150,000 SQFT of restaurant/retail space, and 430,000 SQFT of office. The first phase of this project would ideally be up and running by the Super Bowl in 2016.

While these projects are not directly in San Jose, they may impact San Jose in both positive and negative ways. On the positive side, this could have a catalyzing effect on the whole region and attract more investment dollars to the South Bay, especially North San Jose. Obvious it would give San Joseans a new retail and entertainment anchor to visit. On the flip side, this could draw more tax dollars to the city of Santa Clara and hurt business for the current Silicon Valley retail megacenter: Santana Row + Valley Fair.

What do you guys think about these projects?

Source: SVBJ

Cukui Collaboration with 49ers' QB Kaepernick

Last week you saw the photo of what the San Pedro Square Market looked like when the 49ers hosted their 2013 Draft Bash there, but there are other connections being made to San Jose as well. Cukui is a really cool clothing store in Japantown that embodies San Jose street art and culture. They approached 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick to see if he would be interested in a clothing line inspired by his tattoos. Kaepernick agreed and the new shirts shot up Cukui's business by 200-300%, with most of that being new customers. They are also one of the few pieces of 49ers gear designed and printed right here in San Jose.

To check out Cukui's online store, just click this link. You can also visit their retail location at 229 Jackson Street.

Source: SVBJ

49ers Draft Bash in San Jose Attracts 7,500 Visitors

For those that doubted the positive impacts from the 49ers moving South, check out the photo below. A staggering 7,500 people packed the San Pedro Square Market to attend the Draft Bash event late last month.

This is a win-win all around! The San Pedro Square Market vendors were completely busy, more people were exposed to San Pedro and a new side of Downtown, San Jose benefits from increased tax dollars and tourism (yes I used that word in the same sentence as San Jose), and the 49ers get to host their Draft Bash is one of the coolest venues in the Bay Area. You know what else is nuts... the 49ers were the ones that approached the San Pedro Square Market to host the event, not the other way around. Expect to see many more events like this one in both Santa Clara AND San Jose, and fewer 49er events in SF.

Source: SVBJ

49ers Draft Bash Event @ San Pedro Square Market

Well, well... have a look at where the 49ers are having their 2013 Draft Bash. The move to the South Bay is already providing some benefit to San Jose, and I'm sure we will see more of this in the future.

The San Francisco 49ers will host a Draft Bash presented by Bud Light from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, at San Pedro Square in downtown San Jose. The free-ticketed event is open to all ages and will be held as an outdoor block party on St. John Street with a celebration throughout the San Pedro Square Market.

The Draft Bash will include food, music and entertainment, interactive sponsor booths, the latest 49ers merchandise, and the live broadcast of the 2013 NFL Draft which begins promptly at 5 p.m. to be displayed on large outdoor screens. Performances by the Gold Rush Cheerleaders, Niner Noise, and guest appearances by Sourdough Sam, 49ers players and alumni are expected.

Fans will be kept in the know with draft-day commentary from 49ers all-time great, Dwight Clark, and the voice of the team, Ted Robinson.

Attendees must register online to obtain tickets. Printed tickets must be presented at the gate in order to attend. Please follow all the latest 49ers news at www.49ers.com, on Twitter @49ers, and on Facebook.

Draft Bash Location: San Pedro Square Market and St. John Street between Almaden Avenue and San Pedro Street, San Jose, CA 95110.

Click here for directions to San Pedro Market from your destination.

PARKING: There are many public parking lots surrounding the San Pedro Square Market. Please consult www.sjdowntownparking.com for an interactive map and directions.

GO NINERS!

The 49ers Have Already Sold $670M in Seats

While the Santa Clara stadium is a little bit outside the scope of this blog, most of the people that are going to fill these seats are San Joseans. The Niners have already sold a staggering $670M in seat licenses. This is more than any other team in history 2 years before opening. Selling every single seat before the 2014 opener seems like a sure thing.

The good news for San Jose--besides residents having easy access to games with no taxes or financial risk--is that there are not many pre/post game options in the immediate vicinity of the stadium. That means that a lot of people are going to hop on light rail, and go to the nearest hub for the pregame or afterparty, and most of those places are going to be in San Jose. You can also expect San Jose hotels located near light rail to do very well on game days.

As a side note, this also shows a very strong market for professional sports in the South Bay, and should be additional evidence for Lew Wolff and the MLB to get their act together and allow the A's to move to Downtown San Jose.

Source: The Merc

49ers Line up $850M Stadium Loan

I know it's not San Jose, but it's Sunday and I have to mention the fact that the 49ers have lined up the $850M of financing for the new stadium. This pretty much seals the deal and guarantees the Niners are coming to Silicon Valley.

San Jose will be a tremendous beneficiary as we'll receive yet another professional sports team in the San Jose Metropolitan Area (maybe two). I'm dreaming of a 2015 scenario where Silicon Valley hosts the Sharks, Earthquakes, 49ers, Raiders, A's, and maybe even a pro Basketball team. People would laugh at the thought 10 years ago, but now it may actually happen.

For more information on the 49er loan, click here.

New 49ers Stadium May Already Yield Benefits

It looks as if Joe Montana and former owner Edward DeBartolo are looking to build a new luxury hotel, sports bar, and entertainment complex near the future 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. Just one of many additional potential benefits a pro sports team can have on an area.

49ers Stadium Comparison

I have some interesting statistics between Candlestick Park and the New 49ers Stadium proposed for Santa Clara. I rarely post about things outside of San Jose, but in this case we would be one of the main benefactors of the new stadium (increased hotel utilization, light rail usage, and simply having another pro sports team a few miles away). They have already had their practice facility in the South Bay for a long time and most of the players physically live in the South Bay, so far all intents and purposes they'll be our team if the stadium gets built.

Merc Article on the 49ers

Last week there was a great article in the Merc about the 49ers moving down south, definitely worth a read!

My favorite lines from the article:

• Did you feel it? The gravitational center of Bay Area sports shifted southward Tuesday night. [referring to Measure J]
• Think about it. If Santa Clara County has the largest population in the nine-county Bay Area (fact) and has the most enthusiastic sports fans (opinion), then why shouldn't it also possess the home field of the Bay Area's most popular team?
• When the Super Bowl is played here in 2018 or 2019, do not forget this moment. It did not happen by accident. The whole project took a leap of faith by both the 49ers and a city that was willing to take a gamble that joining the limited ranks of NFL cities would be a net benefit, not the horrible tragedy that anti-stadium voices proclaimed.

Click here to read the full article!

MEASURE J WINS!!!

Looks like Silicon Valley is getting the 49ers!!!

Election Day!

Today is the big day. At 8pm the election results will start to roll in and you can see the results live at: http://www.sccgov.org/elections/results/jun082010/. While there are many key items in the ballot, the number one question on my mind is: will Santa Clara get the 49ers? No doubt it would provide a substantial economic boost to the area, and San Jose would be a key benefactor. To be continued...

49ers Stadium Render!

Okay, so while technically not in San Jose... this is close enough for me. The Merc has posted a very nice render of the proposed 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. I hope this comes to fruition and we get our 3rd major professional sports team in the South Bay!  Click on the image below to see a blown up version.