Oakland A’s Unveil Plans for New Waterfront Ballpark
Posted On: November 28, 2018 By :The Oakland A’s have unveiled plans for a new downtown waterfront baseball stadium in the Howard Terminal area that would serve as the new home for the Major League Baseball team as soon as 2023. In addition, the team is proposing a redevelopment of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum site that would create a new sports park and leave the neighboring Oracle Arena intact.
The A’s intend to break ground on the privately funded ballpark in 2021 pending environmental approvals from the state of California. The proposed stadium would seat 34,000, which would be the smallest seating capacity of MLB’s 30 teams.
The project is being designed by Bjarke Ingels Group and is described as a “ballpark within a ballpark.” Plans include fixed seats and general admission areas to be designed with the closest configuration possible to home plate—a significant change from the wide foul areas in the team’s current home. An elevated park would surround the stadium and a nearby ballpark district would include a mix of housing, offices, restaurants, retail, small business space, parks and public spaces.
“We have an amazing and powerful vision for a new waterfront stadium,” Oakland A’s President Dave Kaval said. “We’ve always liked the idea of a downtown waterfront location for a ballpark. With the 81 days that baseball provides for home games, it really is the best and most conducive environment for success both on and off the field.”
At the Coliseum site, the team is proposing the baseball stadium be transformed into a mix of economic, cultural and recreational projects. Preliminary plans include a large park surrounded by new housing, a skills center, community gathering space, office and retail developments, and restaurants. Oracle Arena, home to the NBA’s Golden State Warriors until the team moves into a new arena in San Francisco next season, would be repurposed as a concert and cultural events center. The original Coliseum baseball diamond would be preserved in the proposed new park.
For more renderings and information about the ballpark project, click here.
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