The Oakland A’s have been granted an exclusive one-year negotiation agreement for Howard Terminal, giving the team time to study the site for a new ballpark.
Howard Terminal is one of the options on the table for A’s as they continue their search for a replacement for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. The team has not settled on its preferred site for a new ballpark, but Thursday’s 6-0 vote from Port of Oakland commissioners (one member was absent) triggers the one-year exclusive negotiation period.
With this vote, the A’s will now have time to thoroughly study Howard Terminal, a site that has run into questions about access and environmental concerns. It is also anticipated that the A’s will look to take a similar approach for another prospective site, the Coliseum property. More from The Mercury News:
A’s President Dave Kaval said he was encouraged by the unanimous vote and afterward did not seem too worried by port union workers concerns a stadium would take away jobs and maritime activity. Kaval expects to have those discussions over the one-year deal, known as an exclusive negotiating agreement.
“For us, this is an important first step,” Kaval said outside the port commission board room in Jack London Square.
The A’s also expect to enter into the same agreement with the city of Oakland and Alameda County to study the Coliseum, part of Kaval’s “parallel paths” approach. After being shut out of building near Laney College, A’s management said the two options maximize chances of staying in Oakland, as promised.
Oakland City Council needs to approve the Coliseum study.
The terms of the agreement call for the A’s to pay the Port of Oakland $100,000. The team will study multiple factors concerning the site, including environmental, economic feasibility, transportation, and access.
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