Jack London Square Ballpark
Our plan is to build an urban neighborhood ballpark at Howard Terminal. The site for the new ballpark is located next to Jack London Square.
Our vision goes beyond a ballpark. We also plan to pursue a second project to redevelop the Coliseum site. To learn more about our two-site project plan click here.
We feel strongly about building a ballpark that is ultimately integrated into a vibrant, urban environment, and this is our goal for a Howard Terminal ballpark at Jack London Square. This neighborhood will feature housing, including affordable housing, open space, parks, businesses, and entertainment that connects Jack London Square, downtown Oakland, and West Oakland.
This decision follows more than a year of extensive technical analysis and dialogue with 100 public officials, 80+ community-based organizations, and 500 members of the Oakland community.
We are going to build one of the most intimate ballparks in Major League Baseball. Preliminary plans call for a capacity of around 34,000, consisting of a combination of reserved seats and general admission experience areas.
The new ballpark will be 100% privately financed by the Oakland A's.
To be determined. Preliminary estimates anticipate a total cost in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
We are on track to break ground in 2021 and open the park in 2023.
When designing our ballpark, we are focused on five key elements:
- Integration: Creating a ballpark that will ultimately be a cohesive part of the surrounding development and everyday life
- Intimate: Bringing fans as close to the on-field action as possible
- Uniquely Oakland: Representing Oakland and capturing the essence of our hometown
- Social: Encouraging fan interaction and facilitating community
- 365: Building a ballpark that has a dynamic ability to flex capacity, experience, and event types
We have hired BIG to lead the design process, including the master site planning and ballpark design for the Coliseum and Howard Terminal sites. Gensler will collaborate on the ballpark design and HOK will serve as a design consultant. Learn more about our design team here.
Preliminary plans call for the ballpark to anchor a new, vibrant waterfront district. We want to create a place where people want to live, learn, work, and play, regardless of whether there's a game. The development will be as diverse and lively as our ballpark. Our surrounding development will feature housing, including affordable housing, offices, retail, small business space and restaurants, hotels, public gathering spaces, and parks.
We understand the importance of ensuring a robust, convenient, and affordable mix of parking, transit, and transportation options for fans and visitors to get to and from the ballpark. We are committed to creating the best experience possible for our fans, the new neighborhood, and the surrounding neighborhoods. We have hired Fehr & Peers, the leaders in developing effective and innovative transportation solutions, to work with us to build a comprehensive transportation plan.
Not yet. A key priority for 2019 will be to work with public agencies like the Port of Oakland to secure site control.
This project does not endanger any of the current jobs at the Port. In fact, it will create 5,000 new jobs alongside the hundreds of jobs that currently exist there now.
We met with the Bar Pilots in early March. We are fully aware of the potential expansion of the turning basin and are designing our site plan specifically to preserve and enable an area in the southwest corner of the project site to accommodate an expanded turning basin in the future, should it be necessary.
The modern lighting design and orientation of our preferred ballpark design will not be visible from the center of the turning basin, based on the preliminary findings from the lighting study. The outfield lights will be blocked from the Bar Pilots' view at the center of the turning basin by the ballpark itself and are proposed to have external shields to further reduce glare from other viewing angles. The infield lights will be oriented away from the turning basin.
Though it is not our preferred approach, the lighting study also evaluates the traditional lighting design seen in most current ballparks.
We appreciated the feedback from the Bar Pilots to develop a design together that accommodates all stakeholders and ensures that the pilots can conduct their critical role in maritime operations.
The Environmental Impact Report will analyze both access to the Oakland waterfront, and safety for users of the estuary. Site design and operation will consider and address potential public access and safety.
We met with Union Pacific's leadership twice in March. We also conducted a railroad transportation workshop with key transportation organizations that they participated in. Based on these discussions, we are more confident than ever that this project can be a catalyst for improved railroad safety in the area without comprising existing or future passenger and freight rail operations.
As part of our predevelopment planning processes, we are developing a robust transportation management plan, and the EIR is analyzing all the transportation issues and management strategies, studying new pedestrian bridges, and a fully privately financed gondola to transport fans to and from downtown Oakland to Jack London Square. All potential safety, traffic, and circulation considerations related to rail will be the subject of a thorough analysis in the EIR.
We respect and are responsive to all questions and concerns related to our ballpark project. Our approach will continue to be to engage openly with stakeholders, hear their concerns, and incorporate data- and evidence-driven solutions into our planning process. We've met with many of the individuals and groups who say they are opposing this project. You can see the complete list of our meetings and outreach here.
Seating priority will be given to A's Access members based on tenure and membership level. For more information on becoming an A's Access member visit athletics.com/2019. We also plan to launch our deposit campaign in early 2019. Fans who place a deposit will have priority following A's Access members.
Oakland Coliseum Redevelopment
Our goal for the Coliseum site is to deliver a bold vision and real benefits specifically tailored to the goals and needs of East Oakland. Working with public agencies and the community, we plan to revitalize the Coliseum with new economic, cultural, and recreational programming. Preliminary plans include a large park, surrounded by substantial new housing, along with affordable housing, a skills center, community gathering space, office and retail developments, and restaurants.
We are uniquely positioned to accelerate the redevelopment of the Coliseum and deliver significant new benefits to the community as quickly as possible. We will work closely with public and community leaders in 2019 to develop a timeline in pursuit of that goal that works for all parties.
This is bigger than baseball. Our goal with this two-project approach is to create significant community benefits for West and East Oakland.
Emerging from extensive technical analysis and community dialogue were five "guiding principles" informing the project. Development solely at either Howard Terminal or the Coliseum will not meet these guiding principles. In contrast, a two-project approach will deliver on all five guiding principles.
We want to make sure a new ballpark at Howard Terminal and the redevelopment of the Oakland Coliseum site will enhance the community. We are engaging daily with our fans and community to learn what they want in both East Oakland and West Oakland.
In 2017, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute studied the economic impact a new ballpark could have on Oakland. The report determined:
- Oakland residents and businesses would reap approximately $3 billion in economic benefits over the first 10 years from the construction and operation of a new privately financed ballpark.
- The ballpark would create 2,000 construction jobs, many of which would go to local workers and businesses.
We plan to continue to study the economic impact of our project over the next year.
Yes, we are committed to delivering robust economic and community benefits and will share more updates on our progress in 2019.
We are committed to improving the fan experience and have invested more than $6 million in renovations to the Oakland Coliseum over the past two seasons. We have plans for additional investments in the coming years, and will continue to make the best fan-experience improvements to the Coliseum itself for as long as it is our home. However, a new facility is necessary to compete at the top level of Major League Baseball for the long term. With a new ballpark, we will be able to retain our players and build a more competitive team to bring all of Oakland and the East Bay championship-caliber baseball.
We have numerous opportunities for our fans and the community to contribute and participate in this process. We have several community meetings and events planned to gather input and ideas from the public. Please sign up here to receive updates and information on upcoming meetings.
