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The San Francisco 49ers moved out of Candlestick Park after last season, and the process of tearing apart the stadium continues. They will eventually implode the stadium, but in the meantime, they are removing all the seats. You can watch some video of the seats being removed, and here are a couple pictures:
VIDEO: Fly over Candlestick Park and see the seat situation http://t.co/l1DULTNtGm #NFL #49ers #MLB #SFGiants pic.twitter.com/Ie5sU4C1Zd
— Comcast SportsNet (@CSNAuthentic) November 18, 2014
It's the beginning of the end as Candlestick Park teardown begins: http://t.co/FvFpi2ra13 pic.twitter.com/N13x3Q2IN7
— SFGate (@SFGate) November 17, 2014
While the stadium is being taken apart, plans are officially underway to turn the spot into a luxury outlet mall as part of a broader redevelopment project. The project will be developed by Lennar Corp., which has reportedly received approval to build 6,225 homes, 220 hotel rooms, and 635,000 square feet of shops.
When Eddie DeBartolo owned the 49ers, he repeatedly tried to get a stadium project done within the city limits of San Francisco, and it involved a redevelopment project in a similar vein to this one. Eddie DeBartolo Sr. made his money back in the day through real estate and building malls around America. His son was unable to get a stadium deal done before the Louisiana riverboat bribery scandal led to the NFL forcing him to give up ownership of the 49ers.
Lennar has been trying to do something at Candlestick Point for some time. The article linked above discusses their work at the Navy shipyards and on Treasure Island. Former 49ers president Carmen Policy has been involved with Lennar, and at one point was leading a drive to try and get a stadium project done with Lennar. I don't know if he is still working with Lennar, but it is still kind of amusing that the company he worked for will be there to turn Candlestick Point into something new.