The Oakland A’s plans to build a waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal hit a roadblock.
The Seaport Planning Advisory Committee voted to recommend against eliminating maritime use at Howard Terminal, which would have paved the way for the team’s $12 billion plan, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Business Times reported. Six of the panel’s 10 members voted to keep the terminal classified for port use, citing concern the port would lose valuable space used for freight and trucking if the ballpark were built there.
The vote isn’t final, however. The committee’s decision is only a recommendation to the full Bay Conservation and Development Commission. Two-thirds of the commission would have to vote in favor of removing the site from port priority use for the ballpark to move ahead. The commission has until July 7 to make a decision.
The ballpark is among California’s largest developments and could bring housing, jobs and tax revenue to Oakland, the Chronicle reported. The A’s are also contemplating a move to Las Vegas, becoming the third team to leave the area in the past five years, after playing at the Coliseum since 1968.
The proposed 35,000-seat stadium would bring office, retail and residential space to the East Bay. Plans call for 3,000 units of market-rate and affordable housing, 1.5 million square feet of office space and 270,000 square feet of retail. A 400-room hotel and a 3,500-seat performance center would also be included in the stadium complex.
Critics of the Howard Terminal site say it’s crucial to the port’s long-term ability to import and export goods.
“Cargo vehicles need water,” said one speaker from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union. “Ballparks do not.”
The Bay commission is set to hold a public hearing on May 5 to discuss Howard Terminal’s port priority use designation. A vote is expected on June 2 or 16.
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