A new poll shows broad support for a proposed Oakland A’s ballpark near Laney College, with a high number of participants favoring the plan.
After spending time surveying their options in Oakland, the A’s announced in September that a site near downtown Oakland and Laney College had emerged as their top choice for a new ballpark. The land is controlled by the Peralta Community College District, and the A’s have said that they would privately finance the ballpark if they can reach an agreement with the district to secure the site.
According to a recent poll, a solid number of Oakland voters favor the plan. The survey, conducted by FM3 public-opinion research firm for the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Pulse of Oakland poll, found that 62% of participants favored the plan. That compares to 31% who said they were opposed, with the remaining seven percent having no opinion. More from The San Francisco Chronicle:
The Peralta Community College District site next to the Laney campus is the A’s top pick as well, but the idea has been met with lukewarm support from City Hall, where Mayor Libby Schaaf and others have voiced concerns that a ballpark could wind up displacing renters and small businesses in the area.
The first question posed to the 503 likely voters surveyed was whether they knew about the proposal.
Eighty-two percent said they had “at least some knowledge of it, and 38 percent said they had a great deal of knowledge,” said Oakland Chamber President Barbara Leslie.
In a second question, voters were asked about their support for the Oakland A’s proposal to build “this 100 percent privately financed stadium at the Peralta site near Interstate 880 — four blocks from BART and walking distance from downtown.”
The A’s have estimated a 2023 opening for the ballpark, which would replace the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum as their home. For that plan to move forward, the club will have to complete an agreement with the district to obtain its preferred site–a process that could take a year. The team could also request help from local, state and federal authorities for infrastructure work that will include freeway access.
RELATED STORIES: Business Leaders Show Support for A’s Ballpark Proposal; A’s Preferred Ballpark Site Draws Some Concerns; Athletics Pick Laney College Site for New Privately Financed Ballpark; Concerns Raised Over Potential A’s Ballpark at Peralta Site; Is Howard Terminal Out as A’s Ballpark Site?; Chancellor Intrigued by A’s Ballpark at Laney College; Beane: New Ballpark Could Help A’s Keep Players; Report: A’s Interested in Site Near Laney College; Oakland A’s Considering Ballpark Sites; A’s Hope to Reveal Ballpark Site By Year’s End; Best of 2016, #7: Oakland A’s Ballpark Quest; A’s, Kaval Launch Office Hours; Kaval: A’s to Focus on Fan Experience; Focus Increases on A’s Ballpark Search; A’s Facing Potential Ballpark, Revenue Issues; A’s Taking More Active Approach in Oakland; Manfred, Oakland Still Hoping for New Ballpark; Are the A’s Interested in Howard Terminal?; A’s to Reconsider Howard Terminal Site; Manfred Backs Oakland for New A’s Ballpark; Raiders, A’s Spar Over Future Facilities; Oakland pitches new Athletics ballpark sites;Two-facility solution on horizon in Oakland?; A new mindset in Oakland?; Appeals court rejects San Jose’s claim to A’s;A’s commit to Oakland after lease; architect talks begin;With lease approved, A’s face much larger issue: new ballpark; Winning, conciliatory moves bring back Athletics fans; Oakland Athletics lease extension due for approval tomorrow; Selig calls new Coliseum lease “crucial” in keeping A’s in Oakland; A’s close to Coliseum lease extension; Wolff confirms interest in Coliseum-area ballpark; Wolff: We’d be open to Oakland ballpark site