Cedar Fair Great America E-mail

[estrine]

If you would like to show your support for the new Santa Clara Stadium.Go to the Cedar Fair website www3.cedarfair.com .Please e-mail them to show your support for the stadium.Please do not show any hostility in your e-mail.This will not help in trying to get them to change their minds about the stadium.

Thanks,Edward Strine:up:

[Peter Proud]

Thanks, good idea!

[Roadhg67]

Just read through a few threads...

That's likely the worst thing you could possibly do. Cedar Fair isn't opposing because they actually are concerned. They're opposing because they stand to make a profit on it all. Public opinion will help the stadium deal go through every hurdle but it can't happen if Cedar Fair refuses to step aside. The more letters they get the more leverage they gain as being the only obstacle left. It's called blackmail. If one little company and a few million dollars in supposed revenue loss worries are all that is between us and a brand new stadium in Santa Clara, the owners will pay Cedar Fair the money. Plain and simple.

Consider a similar situation. You've got another kid on the way in a few months and you need to add onto the house. You get a loan from the bank to build the add-on. Contractors come by and quite you prices and you've got everything ready. Except the addition goes 2 feet over your line into a neighbors yard and you need his approval. Well, he sees you're spending a ton of money on the addition and he decides he stands to make some himself if he just stands in the way.

[smoking_rubber]

They're concerned because their available parking will be GONE. Will they have to charge their customers $25 for parking on game-days? It's honestly a very bad parking situation in Santa Clara. Tailgaters will have to walk from as far out as hwy 237 or hwy 101, since minimal tailgating space is available on site. Everyone from Dennys on GAP to the Westin will have flooded parking unless they up their parking fees. Who is going to fight the traffic and pay $25 to park at Dennys for a sunday breakfast? Imagine walking from Mission College to the Country Club . . . and back after every game.

[Fromthe3rdRow]

They're concerned because their available parking will be GONE. Will they have to charge their customers $25 for parking on game-days? It's honestly a very bad parking situation in Santa Clara. Tailgaters will have to walk from as far out as hwy 237 or hwy 101, since minimal tailgating space is available on site. Everyone from Dennys on GAP to the Westin will have flooded parking unless they up their parking fees. Who is going to fight the traffic and pay $25 to park at Dennys for a sunday breakfast? Imagine walking from Mission College to the Country Club . . . and back after every game.
Everyone is welcome to share their opinions here.

But may I suggest you do a little more research before developing an opinion? I would recommend a review of this FAQ (http://www.supportourniners.com/FAQ.php#anchor08) which the Niners have posted on a web page dedicated to the stadium proposal. It contains lots of answers to many questions, some of which you have asked above.

After a little research, you might just discover some of the issues you raised have already been addressed and resolved.

Just trying to be helpful....:up:

[smoking_rubber]

I appreciate the response. I've read the FAQ. I've actually researched the topic so if I'm wrong, PLEASE enlighten me. Did I make an incorrect statement? I've got the official proposal right here. Should I post a link?

[TheWiz]

I appreciate the response. I've read the FAQ. I've actually researched the topic so if I'm wrong, PLEASE enlighten me. Did I make an incorrect statement? I've got the official proposal right here. Should I post a link?

There is no need to be belligerent over the matter. He never said you were wrong, he merely stated that a lot of your questions are answered on an official team site. He never said you were wrong, he merely suggested you make sure to read the site to make sure your opinion is an informed one. There was no "You're wrong!" or "You have no clue" posted, he just thought you should read it before getting into the debate. Since you have already, there is no need to be insulted by it.

They're concerned because their available parking will be GONE. Will they have to charge their customers $25 for parking on game-days? It's honestly a very bad parking situation in Santa Clara. Tailgaters will have to walk from as far out as hwy 237 or hwy 101, since minimal tailgating space is available on site. Everyone from Dennys on GAP to the Westin will have flooded parking unless they up their parking fees. Who is going to fight the traffic and pay $25 to park at Dennys for a sunday breakfast? Imagine walking from Mission College to the Country Club . . . and back after every game.

- Cedar Fair, trust me, does not need the parking. Parking Lot sizes are regulated by local laws and require a certain amount of parking spaces per possible person when a facility is at maximum capacity. Hence why you often see large stretches of empty asphalt at shopping malls and even smaller stores. In order to need the extra parking Cedar Fair will need to hit record attendance, have a very high percentage of patrons who need parking spots (i.e. 4+ person families, a staple audience would need to be in the minority), and do this on a Sunday during the non-theme park season and during school time across the country. The team is only going to need the area from September to December and for playoff games and only on Sundays. Preseason games are often so weakly attended that it's hardly a concern. Great America will still have ample parking space and there is nothing barring the city from allowing free garage parking for Great America patrons at the parking garage and even the proposed Convention Garage down the way. Sure it involves walking but it's not like you visit a theme park to sit around. All you do for hours is walk from one attraction to the next!

- I must disagree with you that the parking situation will be so dire. Sure the team is going to be taking up Great America parking space, but ones that are mostly unused. A parking garage opposite the stadium will easily replace the spaces it is built on, the stadium is built on, and then some. Secondly, even the city acknowledges now that previous parking garage plans next to the convention center will be scrapped for a larger parking garage. Secondly, businesses can charge whatever they want around the stadium. They will charge as much as they think they lose by not having patronage and I'm betting local towing companies will enjoy it as well each home game. There will be plenty of on-site parking for fans and some off-site parking for other fans. Not every fan likes to show up 3 hours early and some just like secure parking and arrive just in enough time to get snacks and find their seats.

The city and team have about another 2-3 full months left in their feasibility study. So if parking is going to be THAT bad, I'm sure someone will bring it up in the mean time.

[Fromthe3rdRow]

I appreciate the response. I've read the FAQ. I've actually researched the topic so if I'm wrong, PLEASE enlighten me. Did I make an incorrect statement? I've got the official proposal right here. Should I post a link?

If you have reviewed the official proposal, than you have read this: http://www.santaclara.org/pdf/Stadium-FactSheet-5-07.pdf

and this: http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/mn/news/49ers_proposal.ppt

and most importantly, and specifically in regards to transportation and parking - this: http://www.bayareanewsgroup.com/multimedia/mn/news/49ers_transportation_fact_sheet_fnl.pdf

So again, I would say it appears some of the questions and concerns you attempted to raise have already been answered and resolved. But if you have opinions on the subject - fire away. Just please be sure not to confuse others by presenting your opinion as fact.

Carry on!

[smoking_rubber]

Thank you both. I have read the links you've provided. It's the same proposal I had. The wiz has a bunch of numbers to contemplate.

I'm still concerned about the parking situation and the "atmospere." But you both seem well informed, literate, enthusiastic, and satisfied with the current state of affairs. Sincerly, thank you. I'm going to do a little math and get back to you on the topic.

Since this is obviously the place to get an intelligent discussion about the 49ers, you can expect to see me around here MUCH more often from now on. If I've started off on a bad foot, I'll improve.

PS: I was not being beligerant. I came here looking for support of a cause. I believed I already had all the available answers. I asked for enlightenment. I suppose you can read a certain tone into that post, but none was intended.

[TheWiz]

I would like to comment briefly on that parking info release.

There are 32.5k possible parking spots within a 15 minute walk (which is over a half mile in radius) however there is no guarantee any such spots will all be available. For example, many of them are Mission College spots and Convention Center spots or Great America spots. Just because that volume of parking spots can exist, nothing can be said about their availability. It's all just the best case scenario. We'd need near carte blanche control of those lots to get that type of volume of parking.

Also, most of the lots just to the west and south of Great America are smaller, scattered lots where several thousands of fans could park but are far from tailgating worthy. Some are not open air and have blocked views by buildings and other structures. Fine for those who don't mind the quarter to half a mile hike and like the quick exit from the lot onto the roads.

Without a deal in place with Great America, details of a revised Convention Center lot and/or garage, and deals with those businesses, the last plan tossed out there involved around 3k spots around the stadium. That doesn't include lots across the canal or ones Great America may easily choose to reserve for itself.

[TheWiz]

Your fears are just that, fears.

First of all, Santa Clara is looking more probably by the day, despite what Cedar Fair wants you to believe. The fact that they only recently made a political move shows how they see gaining public support and the greater chance that they could be the remaining roadblock.

Last fall, it seemed like the council and city were only about half and half with the pro-side largely afloat thanks to a few fanatical board members. We won plenty more votes when our initial proposal called for all building cost overruns to be solely on the team's checkbooks. We won even more when we added in a stipulation requiring us to cover all shortfalls the city may have in maintenance costs. We won even more support when an independant firm said not only were our economic impact projections solid, but as I said when they were released, they were also on the lower side of the spectrum. We have made this entire venture a zero-risk investment for the city pending just one initial financial investment which buys them a billion dollar venue. I think we've swayed a lot of council members who foresaw cost overruns or maintenance gouging as the biggest risks.

Another big fact is that the resistance is largely non-existant now. Team executives and owners have cut deeply into the number of concerned citizen groups with informative sit downs. This is swaying uncertain members of the public and getting more word of mouth out there. It also cuts deeply into the ability of any opposition group to use scare tactics to recruit the ill-informed. So far the only mentionable group is led by a former council member who has more aspiration to use the issue to get elected again. Meanwhile popularity is surging against them and they're only losing steam. After the team's promises and sit downs and growing support, it will take a lot more than a parking lot rally and some flyers on windshields to actually cause anything worth worrying about.

Besides, LA is a terrible venue overall for football. They couldn't keep either team that has been there. Despite its size, a lot of locals are Chargers or Cardinals fans. You've got to compete with 2 baseball teams, probably the most popular NBA franchise and another one, and even then USC is a major draw for football fanatics. Despite its size, the market just is not all too hyped for a football team. Somehow Laker, Clippers, Dodgers, and USC do enough already to keep the region awash in sports news.

[smoking_rubber]

Aristophanes once wrote "Youth ages, immaturity is outgrown, ignorance can be educated, and drunkenness sobered, but stupid lasts forever."

:falldownlaugh:

That should be a Smiley Avatar with a pacing Lombardi Smiley guy.