The Port of Oakland is looking ahead while putting the soon-to-depart A’s baseball franchise in its rearview mirror.
The Athletics decamping for Las Vegas — with a stop in Sacramento while the team’s permanent stadium gets built on the Strip — will come this month. The Port of Oakland, meanwhile, has started looking for new prospective development plans for the 50-acre Howard Terminal waterfront site at 1 Market Street that was once considered the best chance of keeping the team in town, the San Francisco Business Times reported.
The A’s and the Oakland Board of Port Commissioners last year allowed the expiration of a contract that gave the team an exclusive window to submit a $12 billion redevelopment plan anchored by a 34,000-seat ballpark at the site just west of Jack London Square. Port officials recently issued a new request for proposals for the site, and said they plan to consider a “wide range” of uses, including maritime and industrial developments. The area is currently home to maritime service providers with short-term leases.
Responses are due by Dec. 9.
Residential development does not seem to be a priority.
“We’re looking for development partners who will help realize the port’s commitment to creating good-paying, local jobs for the region while fully activating the Howard property,” according to a statement from Port of Oakland Chief Real Estate Officer Jonathan Veach.
Redevelopment plans will have to take the current state of the Howard Terminal — closed since 2014 — into consideration. The facility is generally deemed in need of repair and environmental remediation. Any plans would require the approval of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and various other regulatory agencies.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao indicated that her administration plans to keep in reserve for now the $375 million or so earmarked for infrastructure projects related to the A’s erstwhile proposal for a mixed-use plan centered around a ballpark. The funds could be put toward a new redevelopment plan or used in nearby neighborhoods, according to the mayor.