Levi’s Stadium rent dispute escalates between 49ers, Santa Clara

One of the 5K video sensors installed for the FreeD replay system at Levi's Stadium in San Clara, Calif., on Tuesday, February 2, 2016. One of the 5K video sensors installed for the FreeD replay system at Levi's Stadium in San Clara, Calif., on Tuesday, February 2, 2016. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Levi’s Stadium rent dispute escalates between 49ers, Santa Clara 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

Training camp hasn’t even started and the San Francisco 49ers are already butting heads with opponents — filing for arbitration Tuesday in their ongoing dispute with the city of Santa Clara over rent payments at the team’s fancy $1.2 billion stadium.

The move intensifies the battle over what the team should pay the city this year for use of the land under Levi’s Stadium. Team officials say the venue cost Santa Clara $136 million less to build and brought in “substantially greater” revenue than anticipated.

The higher revenue requires a rent adjustment under the lease, Niners officials say, so they have offered $20.5 million in 2016. That’s $4 million less than the annual rent over the past two years. Santa Clara officials have not made a counteroffer, apparently preferring no change to the $24.5 million rent they’ve been getting.

“We haven’t been able to get an answer from the city of Santa Clara. They haven’t articulated any dispute with the number,” said Al Guido, the 49ers’ team president. He said that negotiations have been going on since November and that mediation started in April. “As of Friday, they were supposed to come back to us, and they never got back to us. It’s disappointing.”

The Santa Clara Stadium Authority, which is made up of the seven City Council members, said Tuesday that it had, in fact, initiated the arbitration process, but did not detail what it was asking for.

“It is of the utmost importance,” the statement said, “that the rent amount, when coupled with other revenue sources of the Stadium Authority, be sufficient for the operating costs, including public safety, and debt service of the stadium without the use of general fund dollars.”

The rent dispute is the latest trouble for the stadium since it opened in 2014, including big traffic jams and weakening demand for tickets. Still, the stadium was named the sports facility of the year in 2015 by the Sports Business Journal.

Games and events at Levi’s, including Super Bowl 50 this year, far surpassed anticipated revenue and contributed “millions of dollars to the city’s general fund,” according to the 49ers.

Guido said the Niners’ 40-year-lease deal includes a “rent reset,” which means the terms can be changed based on operating costs, revenue and outstanding debt. He said that $19 million would have been a fair rent based on the team’s calculations, but that the team agreed to $20.25 million in an attempt to accommodate city leaders.

Even after the proposed adjustment, the 49ers’ rent this year is more than twice the highest rent paid by any of the other 31 NFL franchises, the team said.

“I’m optimistic that we will get through this, and it will come to a conclusion,” Guido said. “This stadium is a model for the nation. We know that financially it has been a total success.”

Peter Fimrite is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: pfimrite@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @pfimrite