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Santa Clara Considers Digging Up Nature Preserve For More 49ers Stadium Parking

SANTA CLARA (KCBS)— Another controversy has sprung up as a result of the new 49ers Stadium in Santa Clara. The city is considering plowing under acres of a nature preserve to make room for more football parking.

Levi's Stadium is still about 5,000 parking spaces short of what it needs for a football game. One proposal is to take over the adjacent youth soccer fields, which would then have to be moved to the nearby Ulistac Nature Area.

Malathy, a resident who walks in Ulistac twice a week with her friend, said it's a bad idea.

"I'd be very disappointed that they'd be doing that because I think that we need to set aside some place in every neighborhood for nature," she said.

Santa Clara Considers Digging Up Nature Preserve To Make Way For 49ers Parking Spaces

The city said that no final decisions have been made, and Santa Clara spokesman Dan Beerman said lots of options on the table...

"Ulistac was one of many spaces that the city considered to possibly relocate the soccer field. This starts the conversation and the conversation needs to happen," he said.

He noted Ulistac used to be part of a golf course, and therefore not originally a nature area.

But Native Americans beg to differ. The Confederation of Ohlone People said one of their ancient burial grounds could be unearthed there.

The city is planning to hold public comment before any decisions are made.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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