Another key win for the Oakland Athletics’ pursuit of a new Howard Terminal ballpark, as the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) staff recommends approval of the ballpark-centric project.
The BCDC was asked by the A’s to remove the Howard Terminal development site’s 56 acres from port designation, clearing the way for designation as a mixed-use development site. The influential state Seaport Planning Advisory Committee had earlier recommended rejection of the request, saying that the entire Port of Oakland be reserved for long-term shipping. That recommendation was rejected by BCDC staff: with port officials saying the Howard Terminal site was not needed to accommodate future growth (the ballpark site is current used as storage, not as a working port), the BCDC moved forward with a preliminary recommendation for the full board to approve the A’s ballpark plan. Staff had already given preliminary approval of the project; this paves the way for a vote from the full board, expected for June 30.
Still to come: final approval of a lease and an agreement on affordable housing tied to the project. We’ll have more on the latter later tonight.
Rendering courtesy Oakland Athletics.
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