Lennar unveils plan for Bay Area

Home builder Lennar Corp. said Wednesday that it would press forward with its development plans for Candlestick Point regardless of whether the San Francisco 49ers opt for a new stadium there.

The centerpiece of Lennar’s proposal is a new 70,000-seat stadium for the National Football League franchise, whose owners have said they prefer to build a new stadium 45 miles south in Santa Clara, in Silicon Valley.

The owners’ announcement this month stunned San Francisco and dealt a fatal blow to the city’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics, because officials had hoped that a new 49ers stadium would host the Games’ opening and closing ceremonies.

In an effort to get the 49ers to reconsider, Miami-based Lennar and city officials unveiled plans Tuesday for how Candlestick Point might look if the team didn’t move to Santa Clara.

In addition to a stadium, Lennar aims to build 6,500 housing units, a 200-room hotel, 150,000 square feet of office space, 4,000 square feet of retail and entertainment space and 150 acres of parks on the 276-acre site, spokesman Sam Singer said.

The 49ers are not sold on the plan largely because it includes a parking garage for about 8,000 vehicles. The team’s owners do not believe fans would want to park in such a big structure.

“Lennar stands behind the plan and thinks it’s a very good one but is willing to work with the 49ers to overcome objections,” Singer said.