The Oakland Athletics have cycled through multiple plans for a new baseball stadium with no success, but the franchise's latest proposal might finally be the winning ticket. The Athletics proposed to build the new Howard Terminal Ballpark in the Jack London Square neighborhood of Oakland, CA. The Port of Oakland currently owns the land, but the A's want to buy the site soon and have the stadium operational in 2024 when their lease on the Oakland Coliseum expires.
The Coliseum is widely considered one of the worst ballparks in Major League Baseball. Aside from the underwhelming design, it has experienced sewage leaks, power outages and health code violations in its 50-plus years of operation.
The Howard Terminal Ballpark would have a more environmentally-conscious design and a community benefits package, but many steps remain before they can break ground. Let's explore the stadium's proposed details and project timeline to see if the Athletics have finally found the home they've been seeking.
Approving the Stadium
The Athletics have proposed many locations and building plans around the Oakland area in the last 20 years. They first set their sights on Jack London Square among several other locations in 2010, and in 2018 it became the clear frontrunner after the other options fell through.
2019 was a pivotal year for the new ballpark. The board of commissioners for the Port of Oakland approved a four-year timesheet for the project plan. Governor Gavin Newsome also signed two laws that got the state more involved in the project.
Enthusiasm and progress on the stadium slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. Talks even surfaced about the entire project being abandoned, but the A's took a big step in the right direction to start 2022.
The Oakland City Council certified the stadium's environmental impact report in January with a 6-2 vote. This decision sets the stage for the franchise to solidify its financial agreement with the Port of Oakland and finally break ground.
However, A's president Dave Kaval acknowledged that financial negotiations will be the most challenging obstacle yet. He wants to come to an agreement with the Port of Oakland to purchase the land by this summer at the latest, which would give the franchise less than two years to finish the stadium before their lease on the Coliseum expires in 2024. As you will see from the stadium's design plan and details, the Athletics are already on a tight schedule.
Oakland Ballpark's Design Features
The Athletics hired Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) as the lead designer to create "the most intimate experience in baseball," according to the team's website. They want to do more than make a standard baseball field. They want to create an eco-friendly waterfront community.
You can check out artist renderings of the completed stadium on the A's official website, but for simplicity's sake, we've listed the most important details:
* Elevated park with an expansive waterfront view.
* A new waterfront community with affordable housing, offices, restaurants, and retail businesses.
* 34,000 stadium capacity with fixed seats and general admissions areas.
* Stadium programming that will remain active 24/7.
The Athletics also have ambitious economic and environmental projections to transform their sports facility into a community center. They want to meet these economic goals within ten years of the project's completion:
* $7.3 billion in economic benefits: $3 billion from the stadium's operations and $685 million from the proposed gondola system to carry passengers from Old Oakland to Jack London, for a total yearly impact of $902 million.
* 6,119 permanent jobs: 3,624 on-site employment opportunities, with the rest distributed throughout the community.
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the proposed Oakland Stadium is its projected environmental impact. The Athletics and BIG want their stadium to accomplish these goals:
* Protect the bay from additional bay fill.
* Open access to the waterfront for all Oaklanders.
* Provide 18 acres of open recreational space to waterfront residents.
* Increase the bay's resilience to rising sea levels.
These points were the leading arguments in the Athletics' recently approved environmental impact report, and fans will undoubtedly keep them in mind once the stadium is operational. However, that reality is still a long way off.
More Challenges Lie Ahead
The Athletics still face several challenges involving the surrounding architecture. The nearby Union Pacific, the parent railroad company of Howard Terminal, is worried about its business and pedestrian safety with a new stadium potentially looming over its tracks. The California Public Utilities Commission has also expressed concerns.
The greatest obstacle facing the new ballpark is the ongoing MLB player's lockout. With no resolution in sight, every passing day leaves less time for the Athletics to buy the land from the Port of Oakland and break ground. This delay could prove costly for the project.
While the environmental impact certification is a crucial step, the A's remain stuck at that checkpoint and face more sobering challenges ahead.
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