By Khalida Sarwari
The Santa Clara City Council tonight unanimously approved $10 million in funding to prepare the site next to the Great America theme park for the construction of the new 49ers stadium.
The project involves pre-construction preparation, such as relocating utilities that run through the parking lot next to Great America where the stadium will be built. The work is set to begin in January and will be conducted by a crew that will be selected through the city’s public bid process.
“It’s really a great movement forward for our stadium, to get this ‘Make Ready Work’ started,” Councilwoman Lisa Gillmor said.
Part of the $10 million for the $987 million project will come from tax funds that voters approved. At least $6 million will be loaned to the city by the 49ers.
Bill Bailey, a spokesman for Santa Clara Plays Fair, a group opposing the stadium project, expressed concern about the city having to borrow from the team.
“Our group is deeply concerned that the city is being put further and further in debt,” Bailey said.
The group says the 49ers are giving the loan to the city to help meet Santa Clara’s $40 million maximum taxpayer commitment toward the project, but it is not clear whether the team would charge interest on the loan or how the city would pay it back.
The council also unanimously voted tonight to approve a new job specification for a “principal planner” who will be tasked with assisting with the stadium project.
They voted also to delegate authority to the city manager to award construction contracts to the lowest bidders.
The council will next discuss the project at a meeting on Dec. 6 when they will consider the proposed transfer of ownership of the Great America lease from Cedar Fair, the Ohio-based company that owns the theme park, to San Francisco real estate firm JMA Ventures for $70 million.
Construction of the 68,500-seat stadium is expected to begin in early 2013 and be completed in time for the 2015 football season.
