By Khalida Sarwari
The celebrity sightings in the South Bay are set to continue as Hall of Fame football player Joe Montana is expected to follow Apple CEO Steve Jobs’ appearance at a Cupertino City Council meeting this week with one of his own before the Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday to discuss a luxury hotel project.
Montana will present a proposal to lease and develop a luxury hotel on two city-owned parcels of land north of Tasman Avenue, across from the planned stadium for the 49ers next to the Great America theme park.
The hotel would include an upscale restaurant and would open for business around the same time that the stadium is scheduled to open, in fall 2015.
Vice Mayor Patricia Mahan today said the project would be financially gainful for the city.
“It’s a sign of things to come, the excitement generated by the stadium now that it’s on track to be built,” Mahan said. “We’ve come a long way since Measure J passed. There’s a lot of excitement for developers to bring new economic projects to Santa Clara.”
Councilman Kevin Moore was equally enthusiastic about the project.
“He’s got a real good reputation of completing his passes down the field,” Moore said. “He’s bringing a pretty spectacular plan to Santa Clara.”
Project talk aside, both Mahan and Moore said they look forward to Montana’s visit on Tuesday night.
“I’m such a fan. I just can’t wait to see him,” Mahan said.