Oakland Athletics' plan to remodel not abandon coliseum site
OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- While the Oakland A's are pushing ahead with plans to build a new state of the art stadium on the waterfront at Howard Terminal, once they move away, the team claims it won't abandon the Coliseum site or the surrounding neighborhoods.
"We have a very exciting vision," says Oakland A's President Dave Kaval. If Kaval has his way, it will include plenty of open space, baseball and soccer fields, market rate and affordable housing and retail.
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"To build a vision for East Oakland that honors its history, that keeps the Coliseum as an adaptive re-use," said Kaval. "Keeps the arena and builds neighborhoods that actually benefit this community."
While pursuing their new stadium project at Howard Terminal, the A's are moving ahead with a design for 50 acres of the current ballpark site.
"Actually imagining a park that actually reaches out and connects to every single adjoining neighborhood and every neighborhood reaching in and getting part of the park," said Bjarke Ingels, the lead architect on both the Howard Terminal and Coliseum Re-Use Projects.
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"The A's vision for this property grew out of a series of community meetings and concerns from residents that years after the sports teams leave, the Coliseum property might become blighted.
Councilman Larry Reid prefers the A's play at the Coliseum site, but failing that, he's relieved the team has a clear vision for the current site.
"If anybody can make it happen, I think the A's and whoever they partner with on the development side, can make it happen out here."
First, according to Kaval, the property's current owners, the City of Oakland and Alameda County, must decide whether to lease or sell all or part of the property to the A's.
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