The Oakland A’s are back in Las Vegas while continuing talks with Oakland over a downtown waterfront ballpark, as John Fisher and Dave Kaval continue their efforts on a new ballpark.
The A’s had skipped a Vegas run in late July when the city offered the Athletics an updated term sheet for a downtown Howard Terminal waterfront development featuring $12 billion in private investment, including a billion dollars for a new 35,000-capacity ballpark to replace the Coliseum. The development would also include 3,000 units of housing, as well as 1.5 million square feet of office space, 270,000 square feet of retail space, a 400-room hotel, 18 acres of parkland and an estimated $450 million in community benefits. Last week the city issued new information about the term sheet, with updated terms, the next steps in the process and a timeline toward eventual approval. Meanwhile, the A’s purchase of half interest in the Coliseum site is under investigation by the state as not meeting guidelines for surplus-land sales.
But until that Oakland deal happens, the A’s will continue working on a backup Las Vegas plan. The A’s keep changing their list of potential Vegas ballpark sites, adding one recently near McCarran International that would require federal input and approval. Picking sites is easy, but moving forward on a ballpark plan and a funding setup is hard, and as we’ve pointed out, finding public money for a new ballpark will certainly be a challenge.
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