Port of Oakland officials will make a crucial decision relating to the Oakland A’s proposed Howard Terminal ballpark on Monday, when they vote on a tentative agreement with the team.
The A’s are working on their proposal for a new ballpark at the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal. Under those plans, the waterfront ballpark would be built as an anchor for new development that includes housing, while the A’s would also lead a redevelopment of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum site.
A key decision relating to that proposal will be made Monday with the port’s Board of Commissioners vote on a tentative term sheet with the A’s. A vote of approval would not at all finalize new ballpark plans, as an environmental impact report still has to be completed and additional approvals at the local and state levels remain. Still, the upcoming vote has put the proposal in the spotlight, so the A’s and their supporters as well as opponents of the project are making their cases ahead of Monday’s action by the commission. More from the San Francisco Chronicle:
“We’re not just going to a meeting, you are going to see a full-blown rally, Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval said of the port’s Board of Commissioners meeting.
“It’s important to show that the public and the A’s and the port commission are all on the same page and ready to go forward,” Kaval said….
The port’s maritime tenants and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, whose members work the port’s docks, say the traffic and congestion that would come with the stadium and housing would hurt the port’s shipping business.
“Essentially, what they are saying its that it’s OK to build a stadium and housing here, and we are saying it is still a threat to the port’s operations,” said Pacific Merchant Shipping Association Vice President Mike Jacob. “They need to include us in the front end of the planning of this project, and until that happens it’s going to be hard to bring us to the table.”
Approval on Monday would be a major step forward, but there are still plenty of tasks that remain for the A’s as they continue to push the proposal and pursue a 2023 opening for the ballpark. The commission’s hearing on the term sheet is slated for 1:00 p.m. PST.
Rendering courtesy Oakland A’s.
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