After releasing a memorandum of understanding on August 15, the San Jose City Council held a vote on the proposed renovation of the San Jose Sharks’ home, the SAP Center.
The City Council voted unanimously in favor of approval.
The agreement will bring $425 million in renovations to the SAP Center. Those upgrades will not only affect the Sharks, but also other entertainment events held at the venue.
During the presentation to the City Council, the Sharks proposed multiple upgrades. This included assisting visiting NHL teams with their route from the locker room to the bench.
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
“The Sharks have been proud to play in San Jose for the last 30+ years and look forward to another 25 more,” Jonathan Becher, President of Sharks Sports & Entertainment, said in a statement. “While we have consistently invested our own funds to maintain the city-owned SAP Center and intend to continue doing so, this partnership with the City of San Jose will bring much-needed renovations and improvements for arena guests, the teams, and performers.”
San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan was thrilled with the result of the council vote, stating that the Sharks truly mean a great deal to the city of San Jose.
“This is an exciting day for San Jose. It’s certainly one of the biggest announcements that I’ll have the honor of making as San Jose’s mayor, and I can definitely say it’s one that all of our residents care about,” Mahan said during a press conference. “That’s because our Sharks make us proud. Our Sharks bring us together. To be frank, our Sharks bring a lot of the vibrancy and tax dollars to help fund the services we all rely on, and support an incredible ecosystem for small businesses and our subculture organizations.”
During the presentation to the SJ City Council, 16 public members provided comments. All of them were in favor of the city approving the deal, including one who admitted to being cautious and originally against. The public commenter finished his two minutes of speaking time by saying that he approved the deal.
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.
“I wasn’t here in ’93 when the building opened. But I gotta imagine, it feels similar,” Becher said in a scrum. “You [the media] have been around us. We have a new beginning on the ice with a brand-new team and a lot of hope here. This is somehow parallel to that.
“We don’t know exactly every renovation we’re going to do, but knowing that we got at least 25 more years in this building, knowing we have a chance to make it a world-class facility again, as it was when it first opened, it just feels like home.”
Becher told reporters that a better detailed plan of what will get done and when should become more apparent in March of 2026.
Read more news and stories about the San Jose Sharks on Sharks Hockey Digest! Bookmark the page and follow Sharks Hockey Digest on Twitter @SharksHKYDigest!
Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.