Alameda Co. supervisors vote to go forward with A's proposed stadium at Howard Terminal
This is a non-binding vote, but allows the project to proceed.
OAKLAND, Calif. -- After an agonizingly long meeting Tuesday, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted to go forward with the Oakland Athletics proposed stadium at Howard Terminal. This is a non-binding vote, but allows the project to proceed.
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After the 4-1 vote, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in part that this was "a historic action that creates a clear path to keep the A's rooted in Oakland and build a world-class waterfront ballpark district that will benefit Bay Area residents for generations to come."
You can read her full statement here:
The A's ballpark proposal includes a new baseball stadium seating about 35,000 people, about 1.8 million square feet of commercial space, a hotel with about 400 rooms, about 3,000 residential units and a performance venue seating about 3,500 people located at the Charles P. Howard Terminal at the Port of Oakland.
City officials sought a ballpark development with the A's that was 100 percent privately financed. But have conceded that public financing is necessary. Oakland also is planning to pay for offsite infrastructure needs if the project is built.
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Board President Keith Carson was only supervisor to vote "no."
He did not want to step out on faith and commit hundreds of millions of dollars in future revenue, even though the revenue would materialize due to the project.
He questioned key assumptions used by the economic consultants hired by the city to estimate the future benefits to the county, saying, "There is a long laundry list of unknowns."
So, what's next in the A's stadium saga? This one minute video by ABC7 Sports Producer Casey Pratt provides a timeline:
VIDEO: A's president explains key pieces of Oakland's new proposal, next steps
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