Latest SSV Newsletter (Thursday, April 19): SJSU says no; Plan B on tap

you know i have always appreciated and supported these guys' hard work and dedication, but clearly they're not as much 'in the know' as either they or we, for that matter would like to believe.

goodsport, how about a quick rehash of the likeliest plan b options for those of who've forgotten?

 

its too bad, and kassing is really an idiot methinks. I mean has there been ANY downside to the deal CSU Dominguez Hills made w/ AEG?

i really dont see a plan b in the wings for the spartans. last i heard, they dont have alumni donors lining up to pay $80 mil to build 'em a new stadium.

 

They no longer have that land available to grow onto if they want to be a bigger university in 20 years?

 

& charge Kassing double the price of admission to the new joint!

 

Now maybe Kassing can do the right thing and just eliminate the football program, which is nothing but a financial drain on the university.

Maybe it's what he wanted to accomplish all along.

 

Hey everyone, hasn't the last 14-15 months been absolute hell on ice?

 

Given that Wolff's funding source is the Edenvale development the site must be assumed to be in San Jose.

 

Sounded like it.

 

An article appeared in the Mercury a few weeks back that went virtually unnoticed, or at least not talked about on Big Soccer. It was about the potential plans for the county fairgrounds. One of those involved developing several acres into residential/commercial use. The reason I mention it is because what they are thinking about is very similar to what Wolff is proposing on the I-Star property.

Is is even remotely possible that the county allow Wolff to purchase the fairgrounds land at a very good price, then he can sell it to a developer, just as he wants to do with the San Jose property. In exchange, the county gets a nice new facility at the fairgrounds that can be used for many other events, and the Earthquakes use it for soccer. Right now, the fairgrounds property is in really bad shape. They need a place for concerts. They could host any number of types of events there, while splitting revenue with Wolff. Is this way out in left field? Personally, I don't think so. Whether something like that is doable is another question altogether.

 

They were probably relaying some information they received from the Earthquakes LLC office. It's not their fault that it didn't turn out in a way that was entirely consistent with the assessment they were given. And it's not necessarily that Earthquakes LLC was giving them bad information either. They may have been surprised also that progress couldn't be made. It's just the nature of the deal. Who can predict what's going to happen when the negotiations get serious?

 

Ok, its official. I care way too much about a team that does not exist. (Ok, maybe you can never care too much about the Quakes).

Plan B? Not this again. Well, I hope plan B is in the works right now, and it goes through QUICKLY. Let's just get this thing built, or just move on.
I personally think that the city needs to donate/sell the land it aquired for the A's. It really makes the most sense. The city looks stupid, (well, stupider), having a plot of land for a team that has already decided on thier future elswhere. Have Wolff build the stadium, and share/split the revenue with the city. Maybe San Jose will be more willing to take Wolff's $1 million a year offer.

Also, who owns the land in between Morgan Hill and South San Jose? Maybe he can do the stadium along with a development out there. Same deal.

Anyway, I've gotten way to wrapped up in this stadium mess for one day/week. I'm putting this issue to rest and going out and seeing Grindhouse. Can't do much at this point but worry and hope for the best. At least we can fall back on the Vics and the Frogs.

 

I knew it was going to go down like this. It all started off so well, too good to be true I guess. Part of me says screw it, why wait & worry if we will have another team here. It's not like I or anyone else on this board doesn't have other things to worry about. Plan B = 16 more months wondering if a pro soccer team will ever come back to San Jose. Not me. Between the Frogs, SF Seals & the Victory there should be some good days out -

 

You are right. I can't take another 15 months of this crap

 

It ain't happening.

 

so should I be worried or not?

 

The financing through rezoning has always been Wolff's plan. It was how he proposed to finance an A's ballpark in Oakland in a now-discarded plan. It is how he intends to finance Cisco Field in Fremont. And from the beginning of his talking about the Quakes he has said he would do the same type of thing for a soccer stadium. The only difference between the baseball plan and the soccer plan is that the rezoned land for the baseball stadium will be right next to the stadium. If he ends up working with a different governmental entity instead of City of SJ, than he might go with a different site instead of IStar for rezoning, but I don't see any reason to expect him to go with pure out-of-pocket financing.

 

My post yesterday includes a link to the powerpoint presentation presented to SCCBoS on what things the county could do with the fairgrounds property.

The options presented indicate that that site could indeed provide one stop shopping for Wolff. There is enough land there (and seeds of desire from the county) to do a A's/Fremont style development (a mix of residential, retail and stadium) with a bunch of youth fields thrown in.

 

Splunge.

 

I have not been connected to the Internet since Tuesday, until tonight (I am currently in Bullhead City, AZ). Everything that has happened is something that I learned about 2 hours ago.