- The Oakland Athletics released a statement saying they are exploring other city options.
- The team proposed a $12 billion mixed-use development, but local politicians haven't voted on it.
- If the project is not approved, the team could target Las Vegas for relocation.
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The Oakland Athletics released a statement on Tuesday, saying the team will explore relocating to a new city if local politicians don't approve plans for a new $12 billion mixed-use development that includes a $1 billion ballpark.
-Dave Kaval (@DaveKaval) May 11, 2021
The Athletics have played in Oakland since 1968 and are the last major professional sports team in the city after the NBA's Golden State Warriors moved to San Francisco in 2019, and the NFL's Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020. The Athletics currently play at RingCentral Coliseum, which opened in 1966 and was last renovated in 1996.
MLB gave the team official approval to start exploring relocation options on Tuesday. If the city does not approve the project, then Las Vegas, Nevada, is the city most likely to be targeted for the team's relocation, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The Raiders, the Athletics' former co-tenant at their current venue, relocated to Las Vegas after similarly failed negotiations with Oakland's city politicians in 2017.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has also listed Portland, Oregon; Vancouver, British Columbia; Nashville, Tennessee; Charlotte, North Carolina; and Montreal as potential locations for franchises.
"A new ballpark is needed for the A's continued success," the statement read. "We agree with MLB's position that is not a viable option for the future of the franchise. While we remain committed to succeeding in Oakland and will continue to work toward our waterfront ballpark, we will also follow MLB's direction and immediately begin the process of exploring a new home for the A's."
-A's on NBCS (@NBCSAthletics) November 28, 2018
The proposed waterfront ballpark in downtown Oakland, California, codenamed The Howard Terminal Project, would cost $1 billion, which the team is willing to privately fund. But the project includes building additional housing and offices, bringing total construction costs to $12 billion to build the entire complex.
The full project includes 3,000 units of housing, 1.5 million square feet of offices, 270,000 square feet of retail, hundreds of hotel rooms, and an indoor performance space.
The Athletics' proposal would require the city to spend $855 million in taxpayer money. In return, the development projects to produce $955 million in general fund revenues and $450 million in community benefits - but that revenue would be stretched over 45 years.
To this point, no progress has been made on approving the project by city officials.
"We have an offer in front of the city council we have not got a response on," Athletics President Dave Kaval told the Associated Press. "So I think we're still doing what we can to pursue the waterfront ballpark, which we think is a dynamic and exciting project, but we are running out of time here in Oakland."
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf released a statement via spokesperson Justin Berton on Tuesday addressing the proposal and the Athletics' announcement to explore relocation options.
-Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) May 11, 2021
"Today's statement makes clear that the only viable path to keeping the A's rooted in Oakland is a ballpark on the waterfront," Schaff's statement read. "Now, with the recent start of financial discussions with the A's, we call on our entire community - regional and local partners included - to rally together and support a new, financially viable, fiscally responsible, world-class waterfront neighborhood that enhances our city and region, and keeps the A's in Oakland where they belong."
The team's current lease at the Coliseum runs through 2024. The team said if its Howard Terminal proposal were approved, it would take six or seven years to finalize a new ballpark.