Oakland A's Propose $12 Billion Ballpark Project; Vow to Privately Finance Stadium

[dimondpark]

I won't believe it until a shovel hits the dirt.

But just to give you an idea of scale, Apple's massive headquarters project in Cupertino cost a staggering $5 billion. This proposal by the Oakland A's,by the renderings released, looks like they are darn near building a little city in what could possibly be one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the Bay Area.

Originally Posted by Mercury News

The full project development will expand around Howard Terminal and Jack London Square and include 3,000 units of affordable housing,1.5 million square feet of offices and 270,000 square feet of retail space. The project also includes a 3,500-person indoor performance center and a 400-room hotel.

The overall cost includes $450 million in community benefits and $955 million in projected general fund revenues. In return, the city of Oakland would allocate $855 million for infrastructure improvements. The A’s also included a non-relocation agreement with Oakland, which means the organization will not engage in any potential relocation outside of the city while the agreement is in place...

https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/...build-stadium/

So the team is asking the city for $855 million----normally I would be 100% against a single penny of any public money, but in this case, given how much we are getting in return and given the size and scope of this project and the transformative affect this could have on the waterfront, and the subsequent investment that could come about, I think this is actually a good investment on the city's part.

At this point tho, given Oakland's track record of wrecking developments with deranged NIMBYISM and unreasonable red tape, I am highly skeptical that the city has the wherewithall to actually get this done.

Also, part of me thinks the team is proposing such a seemingly impossible project on purpose knowing full well the city won't go for it, just so they can therefore declare that they've tried to make it work and now are leaving...

The Chronicle has a headline this morning which says that city officials 'balk' at this proposal, but the article itself doesnt really read that way at all, such a melodramatic title.

So, against all likelihood, I approach this with fingers crossed.

Here is a rendering. This is what $12 Billion looks like:

[James Bond Agent 007]

And they're in first place, too!

[Steely Dan]

looks great! build it! two waterfront stadiums in the bay area, how cool!


but won't california's legions of overly-litigious NIMBYs kill this, or at least massively whittle it down?


in any event, the A's really do deserve a new stadium. they're still playing in one of the last multi-use stadiums left in MLB, made all the worse by the horrible proportions of "mt. davis".

[montréaliste]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

looks great! build it! two waterfront stadiums in the bay area, how cool!


but won't california's legions of overly-litigious NIMBYs kill this, or at least massively whittle it down?

Just wait til the towers are built. Chances are the affordably housed will clamor for lack of living room bleachers views.

[bossabreezes]

Sorry, but thatis a 12 billion dollar project?

Its nice, doesn't look like it would cost that much and I highly doubt this will be constructed to its full potential/how it looks in the renderings.

[mhays]

It certainly doesn't look like it would cost that much. However, without reading anything (!) I'll guess that they wanted a large figure, and therefore:

1. They count several years of cost escalation.

2. They include tenant improvement costs.

3. They include financing costs.

4. They include offsite costs for transportation and so on.

5. They include a large amount for remediation.

Include all of that and it seems plausible at a glance.

[Buckeye Native 001]

So long as it's not taxpayer funded.

Mt. Davis ruined what used to be a pleasant outfield view of the Oakland hills.

[TWAK]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

but won't california's legions of overly-litigious NIMBYs kill this, or at least massively whittle it down?

The shadows are ASSAULTING the bay area water, must litigate.

in any event, the A's really do deserve a new stadium. they're still playing in one of the last multi-use stadiums left in MLB, made all the worse by the horrible proportions of "mt. davis".

Shoot even Sac (less chance than Oakland to get things built) got a new arena before Oakland, and I like to sit out on mt davis if they open it...good views (that took away other views).

[ardecila]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

looks great! build it! two waterfront stadiums in the bay area, how cool!

but won't california's legions of overly-litigious NIMBYs kill this, or at least massively whittle it down?

I believe Oakland is the least NIMBY of the 3 major cities in the Bay Area, in some ways. Downtown is fairly welcoming to development, even if the neighborhoods have (literally) militant anti-gentrification activism and the hills have wealthy/educated NIMBYism.

The bigger question here is not about the development itself but about the big financing package they're requesting from taxpayers. On the other hand the A's know that Oakland is smarting after losing both the Warriors and Raiders, so they have some leverage.

[urban_encounter]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

I won't believe it until a shovel hits the dirt.

But just to give you an idea of scale, Apple's massive headquarters project in Cupertino cost a staggering $5 billion. This proposal by the Oakland A's,by the renderings released, looks like they are darn near building a little city in what could possibly be one of the most expensive projects ever undertaken in the Bay Area.



https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/04/...build-stadium/

So the team is asking the city for $855 million----

Here is a rendering. This is what $12 Billion looks like:

That would be a very heavy lift for Oakland, to come up with $855 million. I think the only way this pencils out is with backing from Alameda County.

I hope they can work something out and solidify the team’s future in that city because Oakland needs the A’s after losing the Warriors and Raiders.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by urban_encounter

I hope they can work something out and solidify the team’s future in that city because Oakland needs the A’s after losing the Warriors and Raiders.

yeah, oakland has gotten kinda screwed recently by team relocations.

and now their one remaining major league team is a baseball team playing in a stadium optimized for football (ever since the construction of mt. davis) but the football team the stadium was molested for no longer even plays there.

[mrnyc]

this looks pretty pie in the sky developer hype, but they sure could use the new stadium.

and make it rollie fingers field with a big welcome stache at the entryway.

serving fancy haircuts and craft cocktails in the loges by rollie lookalikes of course.

who's with me on this?

[wanderer34]

It's a nice rendering, but I have to believe it to see it. In other words, I believe there's a slim chance that this proposal gets built, even as the Oakland A's claim they want to build the stadium and the towers. As many of us who are familiar with CA knows, the state doesn't fund stadiums unlike other states, meaning that sports teams based in CA either have to fund it themselves or they have to go into a private partnership. There's really no kind of money in Oakland like that unless you're going to talk to one of the Silicon Valley moguls and even them, it's just a slim to none chance that the A's stay in Oakland. I can see the A's moving to Las Vegas, Portland, or even San Antonio before I believe that a new stadium gets constructed in Oakland.

[Manitopiaaa]

Originally Posted by dimondpark

So, against all likelihood, I approach this with fingers crossed.

Here is a rendering. This is what $12 Billion looks like:

$12 billion for this? Welp, Las Vegas Athletics here we come!

[Camelback]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

$12 billion for this? Welp, Las Vegas Athletics here we come!

Go Raiders!

I'm not a Raiders fan, but a fan of their stadium and a fan of the location in relation to the south end of The Strip and McCarren Airport, which means I'll go to a few games in the future and make a weekend of it to hit up the sports book and entertainment.

[thoughtcriminal]

Originally Posted by Manitopiaaa

$12 billion for this? Welp, Las Vegas Athletics here we come!

bring them back to Philly, where they never should have left.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by thoughtcriminal

bring them back to Philly, where they never should have left.

ha! yeah bring back the city series!

note: The City Series was the name of a series of baseball games played between the Athletics and the Philadelphia Phillies of the National League that ran from 1903 through 1955. After the A's move to Kansas City in 1955, the City Series rivalry came to an end.

The first City Series was held in 1883 between the Phillies and the American Association Philadelphia Athletics. When the Athletics first joined the American League, the two teams played each other in a spring and fall series. No City Series was held in 1901 and 1902 due to legal warring between the National League and American League.

[thoughtcriminal]

there is even a Philadelphia Athletics Historical Society in the Philly burbs:
https://www.philadelphiaathletics.org/

[kcexpress69]

Where are the parking garages?? Not everyone is gonna commute by rail or walk from their nearby condos.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by thoughtcriminal

bring them back to Philly, where they never should have left.

maybe on the trip back to the east coast, the A's could stop off in Kansas City and play there for several seasons before heading all the way back home to philly.