By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
The Oakland Athletics have not fared too well on the playing field this year, but the MLB franchise did score a key win at a San Francisco Bay commission meeting Thursday when the members voted to clear the path for a proposed waterfront baseball park at the Port of Oakland.
Athletics President Dave Kaval celebrated the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s overwhelming 23-2 vote with this Tweet today.
The A’s want a new ballpark and have looked at both Howard Terminal in Oakland and the Las Vegas market as potential spots for a $1 billion baseball venue. It’s common for major league teams to talk about other markets for potential sports venues to enhance their negotiation leverage in their hometown.
The Bay commission’s vote says the Port of Oakland can accommodate the team’s $12 billion ballpark, housing, office and retail project at the 56-acre site and it’s is considered a big win off the field for the home team. The multi-use project also includes that ballpark. If you want to be all official, the commission removed the port priority use designation, clearing the way for the ballpark at the site.
Others also rejoiced in the vote:
The Athletics say they have two sites in mind in Las Vegas for a ballpark, but so far no Nevada or Clark County elected officials have supported using public money to help build an A’s baseball park in Southern Nevada.