In their search for a new ballpark, the Oakland A’s are zeroing in on sites in Oakland, with three contenders reportedly in the mix.
On Wednesday, Oakland Magazine reported that the A’s had narrowed their choices to two locations–Howard Terminal, and Laney College. According to the report, the A’s are surveying Oakland residents on prospective ballpark sites, and “in one recent poll, the team’s representative made it clear that Laney College is the No. 1 location.” That placed Laney College ahead of Howard Terminal, while the site of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was reportedly seen by the A’s as “a distant-third choice.”
The process of evaluating sites comes as the A’s make their push for a new ballpark. Team president Dave Kaval has previously stated that the A’s want to identify a site by the end of this year, with the team concentrating its search in Oakland.
Oakland Magazine later updated its story with a remark from Kaval, who said that the Coliseum site remains an option and refuted the idea that Laney College is the team’s top contender:
After this story was published, A’s President Dave Kaval called and apologized for not returning two phone calls for this story. He also disputed that the Laney College site is now the team’s leading choice. He reiterated that the Coliseum is still on the table. He said the A’s have done polling on all three sites, and in each one of those surveys, pollsters have identified either Howard Terminal, Laney College (which the team refers to as Lake Merritt), or the Coliseum as the top choice in order to deeply probe residents on their feelings about each one.
If the ballpark is placed at Laney College, it would likely be constructed on the current site of the Peralta Community College District headquarters. Howard Terminal has been touted in some circles as a possible site, though concerns have been expressed about its accessibility, as railroad tracks run in front of the location and the nearest BART station is located roughly one mile away. With the Oakland Raiders and Golden State Warriors set to relocate in the next few years, the Coliseum site could become open for development, be it for a ballpark or another project.
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