Venue News: Santa Clara Revokes $30 Million Promised to 49ers; MSG Buys The Forum

Compiled by Karen Hogan, Associate Editor, SVG

Santa Clara County officials have yanked $30 million in tax funds promised for the San Francisco 49ers’ new Santa Clara stadium, saying they would rather spend the money on teachers than install “little televisions in the back of stadium seats.” The 49ers and Santa Clara city leaders strongly and passionately object to the move, saying voters had specifically earmarked redevelopment funds to the stadium and that the county has no right to keep it. Lengthy court battles are likely, launching a rare soap opera in a stadium debate that has been mostly peaceful — and supposedly long over. Asked whether the decision could affect stadium construction, which began in April, a 49ers spokesman declined to comment. The team’s front office has said it would simply eat the loss if it loses the funds, which amount to less than 3% of the cost of the $1.2 billion stadium that is set to open in 2014. The 49ers and Santa Clara officials will be busy this week reviewing how to respond…

…In its glory days, the Forum was Southern California’s preeminent entertainment venue, but the famous round building fell on hard times. The Los Angeles Lakers and Kings moved downtown. Other venues in up-and-coming neighborhoods came along to nab the concert business. And, in the end, the Forum was bought by the Faithful Central Bible Church and all but forgotten. Now, the owners of Madison Square Garden have come to the rescue with an ambitious plan to turn the faded Forum into a juggernaut. The East Coasters are looking to challenge the region’s big arenas, including Staples Center and its owner, the politically connected AEG. MSG, as the company is known, has paid $23.5 million for the Forum and will start work this year on a $50-million renovation. Details are to be released in the fall, but the makeover is intended to turn the Forum into a top-flight concert hall and will take at least a year…

…With less than 40 days left until the July 27 opening ceremony, many Londoners remain ambivalent about the city’s ability to host the grand event. The biggest fear is that the Tube – the city’s creaking, unreliable, century-old subway system – will let the Games down. Despite a 6.5 billion pound (US$ 10 billion) investment in lengthy upgrades, London’s Tube system remains notoriously susceptible to bottlenecks, delays, and signal failures. Disruptions are still as common as ever; in May, almost 800 passengers were stuck for hours on the Jubilee Line, one of the key lines that connect to the Olympic Park, and had to walk down a tunnel to safety. Officials can only keep their fingers crossed that everything else will run like clockwork as an estimated 6.5 million visitors descend on the city…

…The plan to build a new sports arena in Seattle is moving forward as scheduled. If the city and county councils approve a proposal to front as much as $200 million in public loans to help construct the venue in Sodo, Seattle could have a new arena in four to five years. But what would happen to KeyArena? Despite all the hoopla around getting a state-of-the-art venue, the city has not forgotten about its underutilized and financially struggling coliseum. Developing a plan for KeyArena is actually an integral part of the Sodo arena proposal, as the building plays an important role in bringing the NBA — and possibly the NHL — to town. Before shovels hit the old tide flats south of Safeco Field, arena investor Chris Hansen has to secure an NBA franchise for Seattle. But that means Seattle would have an NBA team with no new arena for at least a couple of years. Hansen has agreed to make minor renovations to KeyArena to better accommodate NBA and NHL games there. And under the official agreement among Hansen, the city and King County, he would help the city figure out a long-term plan for KeyArena once the new arena is built…

…A recent meeting between NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and former Canadiens goaltender Patrick Roy touched off renewed speculation that Quebec City is the Plan B the NHL claims it doesn’t have for the troubled franchise in Phoenix. While the league has announced there is a deal in place, prospective owner Greg Jamison hasn’t shown them the money and a lawsuit backed by the conservative Goldwater Institute threatens to delay the city of Glendale’s financial support of the sale until voters approve it in a referendum in November. Roy is the co-owner, general manager and coach of the Quebec Remparts and he’d be the perfect guy to talk to if you wanted to determine Quebec’s readiness for an NHL franchise.