Oakland A’s team president says it’s a tall order getting a yes vote on today’s vote with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) to remove 56 acres of operations at the Port of Oakland to allow the A’s to begin the Ballpark project waterfront ballpark. (Athletics Nation file photo)

Howard Terminal: Next Vote In Hours

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

OAKLAND–Sometime this Thursday, June 30th, we will know the final result of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) on whether to remove the port priority use designation on the Port of Oakland’s Howard Terminal.

The A’s plans are to build on a 56-acre waterfront site. A $12 billion investment with mixed-use including the $1 billion baseball park.

What do they need? There are 27 commissioners that will register their Yes or No vote. They need 18 of the 27 to pass, for the port use designation to be removed, paving the way for the new Oakland A’s Baseball park.

According to Mr. Dave Kaval, President of the A’s, a No vote would mean the project is all but dead in the water. Kaval also said when asked about the vote Thursday- “That’s a tall order, getting that type of support is not easy”.

Most recent twist: Early this week MLB reportedly willing to wave a $1 Billion relocation fee, if the A’s move to Las Vegas. They went even further, saying that they never planned to charge the A’s in the first place.

According to The New York Post, who broke this story and reported that back in April MLB commissioner Rob Manfred was ready to let the A’s move to Las Vegas so long as Nevada kicked in around $275 million for a stadium.

Now, months later the Post is back to declare that MLB is ready to give the A’s owners another gift by waiving the league relocation fee. The Las Vegas Review Journal’s own source confirmed the no-fee story. When the Raiders left Oakland for Las Vegas they paid a $378 million relocation fee.

If the BCDC vote is a Yes, the A’s take another step on their way to the building of Howard Terminal. Still not 100 percent assured that it will be build, but first they have to get a Yes vote this Thursday, or say Adiós to the plans. If the vote is Yes, there will be more hurdles as the project would then move to negotiations between the City of Oakland and the Oakland A’s.

One of the possible next hurdles is the A’s building 600 low-income homes, a plan that is a “must” according to the powers-to-be in the City of Oakland, while the A’s have been very quiet. Some in Oakland believe, the low-income housing could be a “deal breaker”.

Rob Manfred, Commissioner of MLB “There is really significant activity in Oakland. The political process has moved along significantly,” Manfred said. “I met with Mayor Schaaf. She has done a really good job at moving the process forward in Oakland. But as you all know, California political processes are their own sort of animal.

The no fee relocation offered to the A’s was well received by Las Vegas, Sin City (through their leaders) who expressed optimism that if they do not land the Oakland A’s, in the near future Las Vegas will be a place for MLB expansion.

City officials believe Las Vegas has shown the world they are a major sports and entertainment center and possible home for other professional sports leagues, including soccer and basketball. As of today Las Vegas is the home of the NFL Raiders and the Golden Knights of the NHL.

Formula 1’s Las Vegas Grand Prix remains over a year away, but it is happening and it will take place in the center of the city, incorporating a stretch of the famous strip, a multi year deal from November 2023.

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