San Francisco 49ers stadium deal in Santa Clara raises hopes - Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal:

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But even if the 68,500-seat, $937 million athleticv facility is approved by city voters next the earliest building activity can startis 2012. “This is our stimulus package,” said Neil Struthers, CEO of the Buildiny and Construction Trades Council of Santaz Clara and SanBenito Counties. “It give people hope. Today, things are not all that The stadium would be constructed next doorto California’s Greatr America amusement park.
Struthers said unemploymenyt in the Santa Clara County construction industryy stands at about 30 Public works projects such as the proposede stadium and more immediate infrastructure work funded bythe $787 billiomn federal stimulus package are pretty much the only game in town for constructionb companies these days, he said. Many contractors who have reliedr on residential or othedr privately funded construction work are considering whethe r to shift gears to public works projectsd or even going out of Struthers said.
A study commissioned by the 49ersz estimated construction of a stadium would create 700jobs and, upon $249 million in annual economic activity for Santa Clara County generated by 10 Nationa Football League games each season and as many as 17 other events annually, includingf concerts and college bowl games. “This project on the horizohn is convincing some companies to hang in Struthers said. If approved, the stadiumm would represent a major boon to theloca economy, said Carl president and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, a business advocacy organizatiom that takes positions on public policy issues.
“Amisd a global economy in crisis, the stadium allows us to pull ourselvesx up by our bootstraps and provide loca jobs to local workers to spur ourlocal economy,” he said. Besides providing a shot in the arm for the localconstruction industry, the stadium would also establish some historicalp firsts. Construction of the 49ers stadiuk would not only signalSiliconn Valley’s entrance into the NFL, but mark the first time Santa Clara has considered amending the publixc bid portion of its 83-year-old city charter.
At the same time city votersd decidethe stadium’s fate, they’re also likely to vote on whethetr to amend the charter solely for the stadiumj project, pending action of the City The charter requires competitive bidding on all public projectw and selecting the low Ron Garratt, Santa Clara’s assistant city said the proposed amendment would allow the team to not only avois bidding on the initial construction, but also on any stadiunm remodeling work it does durin the duration of the 40-year leaswe between the city and A charter amendment committee is beingt formed to look into the matter beforse making recommendations to the City Council on how to Given the magnitude of the projecyt and 49ers officials’ agreement to cover $825 million of construction expenses and all project cost city and team officiale agreed the team can bypass competitivwe bidding and use general contracting companies of its own Lisa Lang, vice presidentf of communications for the was quick to add there will be competitive biddingb among all the subcontractors that do the lion’sd share of construction work.
Team management has already selected a lineup of companies that wouldx handle design and construction ofthe stadium. A joint ventur of Turner Construction Co. of New York and Devcon Constructioj Inc. of Milpitas, which previouslty partnered to buildSan Jose’s soaring new City Hall, has been selectedx by the 49ers to build the stadium. HNTB a Kansas City, Mo., architectural has designed the project. Lang said the vast experienc of these companies handling major publicworkz projects, nationally and internationally, was the key reasomn they were chosen for the stadium Lang added only a handful of companies worldwider compete in this specialized construction market.
When asked how the team woulsd handle a scenario wherer the stadium is approved by voters but the charter not amendee to reflectthe team’s non-bid preference for its general Lang said it’s “premature” to forecast a course of She said it will ultimately be up to the chartedr review committee and City Council to determine such details. Kevij T. Antonelli, a Turner Constructiojn vice president and general manager of its SanJose office, declined to say exactlyt how much the project would mean to his company financially, but noted it’s “a major projecg for us.
” Turner has builg stadiums around the country, including the Denver Broncos’ Invesck Field at Mile High, the Seattle Seahawks’ Qwestr Field, the Philadelphia Eagles’ Lincoln Financial Field, the Washingtohn Redskins’ FedEx Field and the reconstructed Soldier Field, home of the Chicagl Bears. For Major League Baseball, Turner just finishe the new Yankee Stadium in New built at a costof $1.5 billion. Antonelli said Turnerr and Devcon would oversee the competitive bidding processfor subcontractors. “For owners who have the this is an advantageous timeto build,” Antonellki said. “We are looking at bottom-of-the-marke t prices.
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