The Oakland Athletics’ search for a new ballpark has taken them near the waterfront.
Phil Matier and Andy Ross of the San Francisco Chronicle report Oakland A’s co-owner John Fisher is expected to scout the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal on Thursday as a possible location for a proposed new stadium. The terminal is currently a cargo-loading area.
The Oakland A’s current home, the O.co Coliseum, is among the ugliest, dated stadiums in MLB. It’s a literal shit hole. A’s ownership has been looking at acquiring a new stadium for nearly a decade but hadn’t made significant traction towards the goal.
With the potential waterfront property, it would allow the A’s to move and the Oco could be the sole home for the Raiders.
“It’s no secret I think this would be a great place for (the A’s) to move, and it gives us more options as we continue to talk to the Raiders about the Coliseum site,” Mayor Libby Schaaf told the Chronicle on Tuesday.”
There’s optimism about the waterfront location, but the Chronicle reports there are multiple concerns about it, including the Howard Terminal being a mile away from the closest subway station. Other forms of transit aren’t widely available as well. Matier and Ross were told three bridges and an overpass could be needed. It would take a lot of work to complete.
Hurdles remain for the project to become fully realized, but the Howard Terminal location is a real possible destination for a team desperate for a new ballpark.
[Image via Lance Iversen, The San Francisco Chronicle]
