49ers vow to improve postgame Levi's Stadium traffic, but caution it won't be easy

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers and their partners have improved their Levi's Stadium performance off the field over the last six weeks, but one menacing foe won't be easy to overcome: postgame traffic.

About half the fans who drove to Sunday's regular season home opener against the Chicago Bears were trapped in their lots for up to two hours as a constant stream of pedestrians and trains blocked their paths. The team says it may have to slow down train service after the game or make other changes to handle the onslaught of more than 20,000 vehicles.

Fans enter the stadium before the 49ers game against Chicago
Bears at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sept. 14, 2014.
(Josie Lepe/Bay Area News Group)

"We're going back to the drawing board. It's taking far too long for my liking," said Jim Mercurio, the 49ers vice president of security and operations. But he added: "I got to be honest -- that's one you can't really solve for, when 70,000 people all leave at the same time, but I'm not going to stop until we make it as optimal as we can."

After two preseason games and a pair of soccer matches, Sunday's prime time event was the first time the entire crowd in Santa Clara left a 49ers game at once. Those who rode the rails or parked in outer lots a half-mile or more away from the stadium zipped out, while fans quickly got through security lines before the game, taking an average of 12 seconds to have their tickets scanned and go through metal detectors, and reported comfortably short waits for bathrooms and food stands.

But Niners faithful who parked in two large inner lots along the train tracks saw their frustrations over the team's crushing defeat compounded by gridlock.

"I went 25 feet in an hour. It was just to the point where it was really, really getting out of control back there," said season ticket holder Jerry Karp of Santa Clara. "It's new, but they don't have it together at all."

Karp, who's been going to games for more than a quarter-century, said the problem was so bad he might dump some of his tickets this year. He was among those who reported that some of the exit lanes appeared to be mysteriously closed, and after an hour or so some attendees decided to take matters in their own hands, knocking over the temporary chain-link fences or driving over obstacles such as medians to escape.

Brian Nitenson, 30, of Daly City, paid $20,000 apiece for club seat licenses and was astonished that the traffic getting out was no better than rundown Candlestick Park.

"The traffic leaving the game was so bad that I was considering getting a hotel for the next home games, but I hope it doesn't come to that," said Nitenson, who was able to back out of his parking space and then didn't budge for the next hour.

Like others, Nitenson, an 11-year season ticket holder, said it looked like the well-meaning parking attendants were "clueless" and that it took an hour for police officers to come.

DON'T BLAME STAFF

But don't blame the staff, Mercurio urges. Those fans in the affected blue and green lots, which hold about 10,000 vehicles combined next to the stadium, have exit lanes that cross pedestrian paths and train tracks, with trains leaving every five minutes after the game. That means there were only small windows for vehicles to exit.

Since so many more people drive than take the train, Mercurio's team will look at slowing down train service, perhaps to every seven or eight minutes, to let more vehicles through, among other potential changes. They have until the next stadium event, a Sept. 28 day game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On the bright side, traffic before the game was so smooth that more than 68,500 fans were inside the stadium before the kickoff -- a feat Mercurio can't remember happening in more than 20 years at Candlestick. There were also no major incidents for fans during the game and arrests for only minor infractions. And a day after the action, the team reported that the newly installed field had help up nicely.

What's more, the Valley Transportation Authority logged another win following a really rough outing during the opening stadium event on Aug. 2. Gone are the long postgame waits for light-rail trains and over-packed train cars, as the addition of an extra storage track outside the stadium, beefed-up service and a tweak to how passengers are loaded seem to have paid off.

Still, the agency's buses and trains carried 9,400 people, down 11 percent from a peak of 10,600 from the first preseason game last month. While planners had anticipated 20 percent of attendees taking transit to stadium events, only a bit more than 15 percent rode the rails or buses Sunday.

"We have extra capacity," VTA spokeswoman Colleen Valles said.

While most transit riders used rail, more than 1,100 attendees took the bus, and many were stuck in the same traffic as everyone else. Valles said the agency will work with local authorities to try to give buses priority access on the road for future events.

Article and photo Sourced From: http://www.mercurynews.com/southbayfootball/ci_26539518/49ers-vow-improve-post-game-levis-stadium-traffic 

Feng shui consultant tours Levi's Stadium to find winning design

"It doesn't matter if you believe in feng shui or not. You have no choice. Your life and destiny are interwoven with the workings of the universe and nature."

- His Holiness Grandmaster Thomas Lin Yun
The San Francisco 49ers' defense looks weak, and the offense seems incapable of punching its way through a soggy frankfurter wrapper, but I'm happy to report that the team's new stadium has pretty good feng shui.

A tour of the 49ers' new stadium reveals many elements conducive to feng shui, like nearby mountains and water, although consultant Deborah Gee says she would have preferred an enclosed bowl configuration. Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

Candlestick Park can't carry Levi's Stadium's water bottle - except location-wise, for some San Franciscans - but does the 49ers' new home provide them with a maximum home advantage?
To find out, I sought the expertise of Deborah Gee, an internationally respected feng shui practitioner who has been advising and consulting from her San Francisco headquarters for two decades.
Feng shui (pronounced fung shway) is an ancient Chinese discipline that stresses balance and harmony of various elements. A vital life energy force called chi (chee) flows like an invisible river through all nature and people and buildings. If the flow is smooth, life is good.
There are practical design elements in feng shui, arranging things in the right place, so I once described it as yoga for furniture. Designers, architects and psychologists, even if they don't call it feng shui, know that the right colors, music and decor can enhance mood and productivity.

"The way the mountains surround the stadium is a very powerful, positive element," says feng shui consultant Deborah Gee. Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

There are also cosmic elements of feng shui that for some require a leap of faith.
"Some people think feng shui is hocus-pocus, superstition," Gee said gently. "But many athletes believe that there are unseen forces outside of themselves that guide their performance - whether it's a higher being, a necklace or a rally thong."

"The way the mountains surround the stadium is a very powerful, positive element," says feng shui consultant Deborah Gee. Photo: James Tensuan, The Chronicle

Touring Giants' park

Scoff if ye will, ye scoffers, but Gee has street cred in Bay Area sports. When the Giants' ballpark was near completion in 1999, Gee and I took a tour. She gave the yard high marks and predicted, "The team will do much better in this location. They will have their winningest season ever in this ballpark, though not necessarily the first season."
Well, the Giants improved from 86 wins to 97 in their first season at Third and King. They rang up five consecutive years of 90-plus wins, the first such Giants' streak since 1933-37. In their first 13 seasons in their new home, the Giants went to the World Series three times and won it twice.
Can the 49ers expect a similar rocket boost from their new stadium? Let's find out.
Gee and I toured Levi's three days before the 49ers' first preseason home game. Gee found the geographical setting favorable. The foothills of the Diablo Range run behind the stadium's east side a few miles away. In feng shui, mountains offer protection.
"You look for a dragon in the mountains," Gee said. "It's a benevolent creature that represents the energy of power, good luck and strength. The dragon has a cosmic breath, the vital life energy force."
Levi's sits close to the head of the dragon, which is good. Near the beast's tail, the lower end of the range, energy is unstable.
"The way the mountains surround the stadium is a very powerful, positive element," she said.
Gone are the howling Candlestick gales, a decidedly negative element.

'Energy of prosperity'

Gee noted that the southern tip of San Francisco Bay is nearby, as is the Guadalupe River. The San Tomas Aquino Creek flows next to the stadium's west side. All good.
"Water has the energy of prosperity," she said. "This bodes well for a strong revenue stream for the 49ers."
Had Colin Kaepernick known that, he could have demanded more money.
Silicon Valley lends an advantage. While Gee said she would prefer to see a wider demographic mix of fans, not just the wealthy, "This community is rich in innovation and prosperity, which will elevate the status of the 49ers."
We moved into the stadium. Gee said the main entrance, at the northwest corner, is favorable.


"The main entrance is the mouth of opportunity and determines how the energy is directed into the stadium. This corner provides a very strong energy of support," she said.
Gee liked the red seats, and noted that they are much closer to the field than the seats at Candlestick, "making for a better energy connection between players and fans."
The roof garden atop the massive suite tower will provide good chi for the 49ers, whose bench is on that side of the stadium.
"Plants have a life energy force of yang, which is active male energy. It contributes to the strength of the players, and adds vitality," she said.
It concerned Gee that there is little to no shade for the fans, except for the fat cats in their luxury caves. Sure enough, three days later, the sun and 80-degree temperature drove many fans to first-aid stations and sucked thousands more out of their seats to shady concourses or indoor clubs. It was a crummy game, too, but the grandstands became deserted in the second half.

The benefit of a bowl

Gee said she prefers a pure bowl for a football stadium configuration to contain the energy, which fans and players can tap into. (One might ask: Wouldn't that energy boost the visiting team, also? The answer: The home team benefits more from good feng shui because of repeated exposure to positive chi).
Levi's is open at the north and south ends.
"I can appreciate the design intention to bring the beauty of the surrounding landscape in through the openings, but two openings are like cracks in a bowl, draining energy and money. This might translate to more fatigue, mistakes and turnovers and less prosperity. With only one entry, chi would flow in from the water and mountains. Two mouths can be conflict or argument; energy and finances can dissipate."
The walls of service hallways under the stadium are painted red and white.
"Red has the energy of good fortune, power and protection. They've made good use of color in the corridors."
The designers rang up big feng shui points with the two locker rooms.
Both are large rectangles, but the visiting locker room has drab-colored locker stalls, a 10-foot-high ceiling, and a large block of lockers in the middle of the room, like an island. The 49ers' room has a 20-foot-high ceiling, warm-colored wooden lockers, and the middle island of lockers reportedly will be removed after final roster cuts.
"The high ceiling will strengthen 49ers players, allow their minds to expand. A low ceiling minimizes energy and affects thinking. The 49ers' open and unobstructed room will encourage a team feeling. Players will feel better because of the stronger chi," Gee said.

 

 

The final grade

Isn't it dirty pool to stick the visitors in relatively cramped and less-vibrant quarters? Said Gee, a savvy and enthusiastic Bay Area sports fan, "It's what I call strategic feng shui design."
(A tour guide said the 49ers will have a barber in their locker room. I suggested that they could provide the visiting team with a barber, also - a bad one.)
So how did Levi's grade out?
"Will the 49ers win the Super Bowl?" Gee asked, rhetorically. "I'm not making a prediction, but this is far superior to Candlestick, so their odds are better to win here.
"Overall I would give Levi's Stadium a feng shui grade of B, compared to the A-minus I gave the Giants' ballpark. The pros here outweigh the cons. If they fix the major design issue of the cracked bowl, using some relatively simple feng shui remedies, they'll have a better chance of winning the Super Bowl here in 2016."
So there are possible fixes to the flaws?
"There are remedies," Gee said, "but they are not to be shared indiscriminately, only with those who listen with sincerity in their hearts."
Your move, 49ers. Tap into that dragon's breath.

 

 

Our feng shui expert

When Deborah Gee toured the Giants' new ballpark in 1999, she praised the home team clubhouse but was concerned about the square support columns. The sharp edges, she said, roil the flow of chi, creating darts of negative energy - especially at two lockers in a corner behind one pillar.
That defect caused her to give the ballpark an A-minus rather than an A.
The creepy corner's first tenant was Barry Bonds. He hit a lot of homers, but became a lightning rod for steroid rumors and controversy, was increasingly alienated from his teammates and the world, and eventually was shown the door and hauled into court.
Barry Zito moved into that corner and had the worst season of his career, 10-17. Next came Matt Cain, whose run support instantly plummeted. He soon moved across the room.
Marvin Benard had a locker in that corner in 2003, his last Giants season.
The corner's current main tenant: Tim Lincecum.


-Scott Ostler

 

Scott Ostler is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. E-mail sostler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @scottostler

 

Article and Photos Sourced From:  http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/ostler/article/Feng-shui-consultant-tours-Levi-s-Stadium-to-find-5701845.php#page-2

Need some stadium lights? A scoreboard? Candlestick cast-offs heading to auction block

The flame is burning low at Candlestick Park, and with the final event there just a couple of weeks way — Paul McCartney’s farewell concert — the owners are holding an “everything must go” online auction.

An aerial photograph of Candlestick Park from 2008. An online auction will give everyday fans a chance to pick up some not-so-everyday items from the stadium before it is shuttered for good.

And by everything, the auctioneers mean everything. The coveted stadium seats went up for sale a few weeks age, but some not-so-obvious keepsakes will now go the highest bidder — including the copper wiring, scoreboards and laundry machines nestled deep in the bowels of the storied stadium.

The auction, hosted online from Sept. 10 through 12, will be administered by Heritage Global Partners, which has overseen the sale of assets from such famous and infamous entities as Solyndra, Amway Arena in Orlando and Enron.

When Enron hit the auction block, the 5-foot, crooked, stainless steel “E” icon, which was ubiquitous in media coverage of the company’s misdeeds, sold for $44,000, said Nick Dove, director of sales for Heritage Global Partners.

The items up for sale from Candlestick may not be quite so iconic. Among them are more than a few 150-foot-tall stadium light towers, boilers, generators, broadcast equipment and a 9-by-18-foot scoreboard — perfect if you have a couple hundred square feet of wall space you’re trying to fill in your sports den.

Need more illumination for that pick up game of flag football? This 150-foot, cage-style bank of roughly 120 stadium lights can be yours if the price is right.

Despite the non-sentimentality of bringing home a 60-foot light pole from the Candlestick parking lot, the auction will be a special one for Dove, whose family has run the company for 80 years and has been a 49ers season ticket holder for as long as he can remember.

“We’re Bay Area natives,” he said. “We’ve had season tickets to the Giants and 49ers for years, so this sale means something special for our family.”

Perhaps the crown jewel in the auction lot is this 18 by 9 foot scoreboard from the south side of the stadium. Now all you need is a place to mount this monstrosity and your game day experience will be infinitely enhanced.

To see which piece of industrial memorabilia you might want to bid on, check out the slideshow above or the full list of items up for sale.

Or, of you want to check out some of the items in person, there will be a public preview from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 9 at Candlestick.




Article and Photos Sourced From, Follow link for complete list and photos:  http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2014/08/04/need-some-stadium-lights-a-scoreboard-candlestick-cast-offs-heading-to-auction-block/

MLB may help A's play in S.F. if no deal - sources

Major League Baseball would help the Oakland A's move across the bay and play at rival Giants' AT&T Park in San Francisco if Coliseum officials don't come to terms on a new short-term lease for the team, sources tell us.

The A's two-year home stint at AT&T Park, which would start next season, would probably be the first step toward moving the team out of the Bay Area.

The league's hardball warning was passed on to Coliseum officials at a closed-door meeting by Jon Streeter, the San Francisco attorney who is representing the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority in the stadium lease negotiations.
We're told MLB is also demanding that the Coliseum give the A's just a two-year lease extension - not the five- to eight-year deal the authority has been pushing.

The short-term lease would give the A's more flexibility should the team's owners swing a deal to move to San Jose - or beyond.
The sticking point in the Coliseum negotiations hasn't been the length of the lease so much as the money from food and beverage concessions. Under their old lease, the A's managed the concessions for all sporting events at the stadium, including for the Raiders, and they got a major share of the revenue - terms the Coliseum Authority wants to change in its favor.

The talks have dragged on for more than two years. Now, however, the Coliseum's governing board - which includes two Oakland City Council members and two Alameda County supervisors - is definitely feeling the heat.

"Now we have to do this lease quickly because Major League Baseball has injected itself into the conversations," said one board member, who like our other sources asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the talks.

The A's front office did not return calls seeking comment.
The usually talkative Giants President Larry Baer - whose team would have to give its consent to sharing AT&T Park - declined to comment. So did an MLB spokesman.

Why would the Giants give their OK? Start with the rent money - probably enough to pay for a shortstop or two.

But even better from the Giants' perspective, it could lead to the team getting the whole Bay Area market to itself.

With MLB standing in the way of an A's move to San Jose, which the Giants claim as their market, team owners John Fisher and Lew Wolff would be expected to look elsewhere if they leave the Coliseum for temporary digs - or perhaps sell the team to out-of-towners.

For all the brinkmanship, a temporary move across the bay would not be easy. For starters, the Giants and A's have home games on the same dates nine times next season.

MLB's threat to the Coliseum, however, could be a game changer in the lease talks - with the A's the likely winners.
As one Coliseum official told us, "We don't have any choice. Major League Baseball is driving it."

By the way, it looks like the restless Raiders will also get a new lease at the Coliseum - only they've asked to go year to year.
Off the tracks: As BART's unions were voting on their new contract proposal Friday, Orinda City Councilman Steve Glazer was at state Sen. Mark DeSaulnier's office dropping off 20,000 signatures calling for a ban on transit strikes.

Glazer, who is running for the state Assembly, collected the signatures from BART patrons around the Bay Area.
"If you line up all the pages, they would be longer than a 10-car train," Glazer said.

As chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, DeSaulnier, D-Concord, has been looking into how to prevent strikes. Given the labor-friendly politics of the Legislature, however, it's doubtful a ban would get much traction.

"It's not going to happen unless the public keeps the pressure up," Glazer said.
Two things his no-strike campaign has accomplished: His Assembly bid is getting a lot of attention, and he's squarely in the unions' sights.

On wheels: We've heard of holy rollers. But there's a group taking it to new heights, starting Thursday night with roller-skating disco at the long-vacant Sacred Heart Church at Fillmore and Fell streets.
It's called the Church of 8 Wheels: a group of roller-worshiping locals seeking fun and fellowship who got their start at Golden Gate Park.

According to the group's promo, "David 'D' Miles, the 'Godfather of Skate' in San Francisco, will be your MC / DJ minister spreading the word of the old school funk and roller disco music that is the main source of our rolligious energy."

Just in case you're wondering, Miles tells us the church pews are gone, leaving ample room for 200 rollicking skaters.
Try rolling with that.



Article & photos Sourced From SfGate:
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/MLB-may-help-A-s-play-in-S-F-if-no-deal-sources-4952005.php#photo-4693852