The San Francisco 49ers announced Thursday that a tentative deal has been struck with the city of San Francisco to keep the team playing at Candlestick Park through at least 2014.
An agreement reached Monday settles a $60 million claim that the 49ers had filed against the city in June “over a long list of repairs that need to be made” to the stadium, team spokeswoman Lisa Lang said. The team leases the property from the city.
Under the agreement, the team would receive a combination of rent credits and rent reductions from the city in order to complete needed repairs at the stadium, and the lease would be extended through 2014, according to Lang.
“We’re very pleased that our negotiations have resulted in a tentative settlement, and that we will be able to resolve some of these maintenance issues,” Lang said. “And the overall goal, of course, is to improve the game day experience for our fans during our remaining years at Candlestick Park.”
The agreement still has to be approved by the city’s Recreation and Parks Commission and the Board of Supervisors, and that process is expected to begin in January.
“We’re hopeful that it will pass through the approval process,” Lang said, adding that if so, repairs would begin “immediately.”
Among the needed fixes to the aging stadium are parking lot drainage issues, water leakage in areas throughout the stadium, broken seats and restroom repairs, according to Lang.
Though this week’s agreement includes an option to extend the lease beyond 2014, Lang said the team still plans to move to a new stadium in Santa Clara in 2015.
In June, voters there passed a ballot measure to relocate the team with a new $937 million, 68,500-seat stadium next to the Great America theme park.
However, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has said he hopes the 49ers will stay in San Francisco, and that the city is ready to help the team build a new stadium there.
Ari Burack, Bay City News
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