For those who are avid baseball fans, you are probably well aware of the Oakland Athletics trying to find a new location to build a new stadium for their team.
Howard Terminal, which is between a complex of the larger Port of Oakland facilities and Jack London Square, is being looked at as an option for the Athletics to convert into a new stadium.
However, not everyone is thrilled about this potential stadium and real estate development being built on the waterfront.
There is another option for the Athletics, which would be moving the team to Las Vegas, something that has been vigorously discussed and reported to be a legitimate option.
Latest Updates on the Matter
Last Thursday, on March 30th, a California Court of Appeals panel upheld a lower court ruling regarding the environmental impact report (EIR) on the conversion of the Howard Terminal, and that it had met the requirements of state law.
The only issues the EIR found, according to Freightwaves, were in regards to a mitigation plan by the developers involving “adverse wind effects.”
But, the EIR overall concluded that “the project’s benefits outweighed several significant environmental impacts that could not be fully mitigated.”
Thus, the courts gave approval to this project.
The East Oakland Stadium Alliance – which is mainly made up of unions and trade associations involved in shipping activities at the port – brought this suit against the city of Oakland, and the Athletics ownership, as they felt that the EIR had failed to meet the requirement of the law for several reasons.
The East Oakland Stadium Alliance has their own plan involving keeping the Athletics in Oakland. Their plan involves construction of a new stadium near the current site of the Oakland Coliseum.
Officials with the Alliance say it’s an “opportunity to redevelop the existing site… with a world-class new stadium surrounded by housing, shopping, restaurants and entertainment.”
The Athletics Plan for the Potential New Site at Howard Terminal
The – potential – new site at the Howard Terminal would also include the construction of 3,000 residential units; 270,000 square feet of retail space, 1.5 million square feet of space for “other commercial uses”; and parking for up to 8,900 vehicles, Freightwaves reports. Other parts of the development would be considered “public amenities.”
The Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland is 50.3 acres and is “now longer being used as an active cargo terminal,” per the Port’s website. But, they do mention that it is still used for some container activity.
Looking Ahead
Now, it’s still very possible that the Athletics will move the team to Las Vegas. So even though a win in court did happen recently, there still is a long ways to go before anything is official.
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