Voters in Santa Clara will get the chance to weigh in on plans to build a pro football stadium for the San Francisco 49ers, the City Council decided Tuesday.
The November referendum would formally be a nonbinding advisory vote, but council members pledged to abide by the outcome, according to published reports.
City officials are in negotiations with the National Football League franchise over the details of the stadium plan. The team has asked Santa Clara to contribute $222 million toward the project, while city officials say they can afford $136 million, plus $35 million if hotels near the stadium site agree to vote for a new hotel tax.
Much of the city contribution would be in the form of bonds issued by its redevelopment agency, plus bonds that would be backed by the hotel tax, if approved.
Another $330 million would come through a stadium authority that would issue bonds backed by stadium revenue, according to the team’s proposal.
Santa Clara is about 37 miles south of San Jose. The 49ers’ headquarters and practice facility has been there for years.
