A’s announce Howard Terminal as new ballpark site

Howard Terminal will be the site for the Athletics new ballpark, which they team said in a press release Wednesday will open for the 2023 season.

The A’s have built a roster that seems destined to be a contender for the foreseeable future, and in five years it will do so in a privately funded waterfront home.

A’s president Dave Kaval said in the press release:

“We are excited to build a bold, iconic ballpark at Howard Terminal. This design will allow us to blur the boundaries of a traditional ballpark and integrate into the surrounding neighborhood.”

Due diligence remains before Kaval and the A’s can make anything official — this announcement comes 14 months after the announcement of the A’s Laney College decision, which was later nixed.

The next step is a “120-day Action Plan.”

Included in the action plan is, seeking out community feedback, opening an environmental review and negotiating an agreement with the Port of Oakland.

To that end, Kaval said:

“We’ve spent the last year engaging in community dialogue with over 100 public officials, 80 community-based organizations and 500 Oakland residents and community leaders. Our conversations with leaders in business, labor, government, and faith, in addition to neighborhood residents, have  underscored the desire for this project to deliver real economic, civic, and cultural benefits, including job creation and training opportunities. … We are also committed to delivering a baseball experience for our fans like no other.

The stadium, which the A’s said will feature around 34,000 with the “closest configuration possible to home plate” in order to keep the viewing experience intimate, will meet the waterfront near Jack London Square. The A’s also plan to develop into the “urban fabric” of the city, transitioning the ballpark concourse into the street and concession stands into restaurants.

Housing, restaurants, retail space, small business space and public gathering spaces will also be featured in the development. The A’s have tapped Bjarke Ingels Group, a New York-based architecture firm for the undertaking.

Part of the plans for the A’s move also includes the Oakland Coliseum site — the only home the A’s have known since moving to Oakland. Said Kaval:

“This undertaking is bigger than baseball. In addition to developing at Howard Terminal, we plan to redevelop the Coliseum to help that site realize its full potential for the residents of Oakland for the long-term. We look forward to continuing our work with the community to develop both projects.”

The Coliseum redevelopment will include residential as well as commercial space. And, according to renderings, the playing surface currently home to the green and gold will remain — though the seating will be decidedly minimized. Oracle Arena — current home to the Golden State Warriors who will move to San Francisco’s Chase Center next season — will remain and be repurposed as a concert and events center.

Kaval said of the plans:

“We are putting the ‘park’ back in ‘ballpark.’”

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Kalama Hines is SFBay’s sports director and Oakland Athletics beat writer. Follow @SFBay and @HineSight_2020 on Twitter and at SFBay.ca for full coverage of A’s baseball.