The Peralta Community College District Board of Trustees has ordered Chancellor Jowel Laguerre to discontinue talks regarding a new Oakland A’s ballpark, putting planning for the facility on hold.
The new ballpark, pitched by A’s officials to go on a 15-acre plat of land next to Laney College on land used by the Peralta Community College District, has been the subject of neighborhood opposition from the beginning. Residents say it would gentrify the area and create traffic problems, while college administrators and students have voted against it, arguing the impact of the construction process would be overwhelming. And while there’s support in the general Oakland community for a Laney College location, administrators and students overwhelmingly voted against it.
The board of trustees apparently is siding with its staff and students, directing Laguerre to end talks with the team and instead work on what would be best for the college.
“We are shocked by Peralta’s decision to not move forward,” according to a statement from the Oakland Athletics. “All we wanted to do was enter into a conversation about how to make this work for all of Oakland, Laney, and the Peralta Community College District. We are disappointed that we will not have that opportunity.
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