August 13, 200521 yr http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article...t=.jsp&c_id=mlb 08/12/2005 7:11 PM ET A's propose plan for new stadium Owner Wolff says park offers a 'positive and lasting impact' By Mychael Urban / MLB.com OAKLAND -- A's owner Lew Wolff unveiled his plan on Friday for a new stadium on industrial land not more than a few Eric Chavez homers away from McAfee Coliseum. Offering an artist's rendition of the proposed site, which would feature a hotel or condominiums and retail shops, Wolff conceded that the plan will require the clearing of several political and financial hurdles. The land, 90 acres just north of the Coliseum off Interstate 880, is currently the property of private ownership. "The challenges are huge," Wolff said. Regardless, the plan represents the first concrete evidence to back Wolff's long-stated claim that he wants to keep the team in the East Bay. "Just to hear something has been thought out is huge," said longtime A's fan and Oakland resident Janice Williams, who was discussing the proposal with friends outside McAfee Coliseum on Friday while tailgating for the opener of a three-game series against the Twins. "Mr. Wolff seems like the real deal to me." The new park would feature about 35,000 seats, a huge state-of-the-art scoreboard and a hotel or residential units behind left field. Wolff said that the Coliseum parking lot, which is within walking distance of the proposed site, could be used for patrons of the new park, and he suggested that a new BART station -- between the Fruitvale and Coliseum stations -- could more conveniently transport fans to games. The stadium would cost close to $400 million, and while Wolff didn't specify from whence the money would come, he said he didn't intend to ask the city to bully the current owners of the land. After Wolff's presentation, he offered the following statement through the A's public relations department: "On behalf of the Oakland Athletics ownership group, I have proposed a concept and a site to the Joint Powers Authority and the city of Oakland that we believe has tremendous potential for the development of a baseball-only facility for the A's in Oakland. It is our hope to create more than just a ballpark, but one of the next major urban centers in the Bay Area that will greatly add to the economic base and the community image of the city we have called home for the last 38 years. "A visionary leadership from all parties associated with this project who believe the A's are a community asset is required to help us reach our objective in creating one of the most exciting venues in all of sports, one that will have a positive and lasting impact on the city of Oakland for years to come. "Our ownership group is willing to incur the vast majority of costs associated with this project; however, to create the major urban development we envision is virtually impossible without some sort of public and governmental support. If public and private forces can be channeled to see this project to fruition, it is our belief the economic benefits to the City of Oakland will far outweigh the public assistance sought. "We look forward to closely working with the JPA and the City of Oakland in a diligent and expedient manner to further examine the feasibility of this proposal." Mychael Urban is a national writer for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. http://www.nbc11.com/sports/4846244/detail.html http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ws/12369969.htm http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...BAstadium12.DTL
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