A's close in on stadium, officials say

FREMONT: City leaders say they are lead candidate for new ballpark

STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

 

The Oakland A's are in the final stages of negotiating to build a new ballpark in Fremont on land leased by Cisco Systems Inc., a city official said.

 

The team's co-owner Lew Wolff wants to build a ballpark village including thousands of homes and a retail center on a 143-acre parcel of land, Fremont City Manager Fred Diaz said. Diaz, along with Fremont City Council members and Daren Fields, the city's economic development director, met April 3 with Wolff to discuss the possible deal.

 

"I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's," Diaz said. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the city of Fremont, then we'll find it and make that happen."

 

Abby Smith, a spokeswoman for Cisco Systems Inc., confirmed the company currently leases the undeveloped parcel and has an option to buy. She added the company was not actively marketing the property but is willing to listen to unsolicited offers. She would not discuss whether Cisco is in negotiations with Wolff.

 

Wolff said last month that the decision to broaden the search for a new stadium site was necessary because Oakland didn't have the land available to build a mixed-used development that would include a stadium, housing and retail. Also, any deal in Oakland likely would have to include public money, something county and city officials have not supported.

 

"I don't think there is the political will to do that here," said Oakland Councilman Admin Reid, also a member of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority. "The A's probably will not remain in Oakland. They will probably end up in Fremont."

 

The move would allow the A's to not only tap its East Bay fan base, but also get closer to businesses and fans in Silicon Valley without infringing on the San Francisco Giants' South Bay territorial rights.

 

However, the move could present its own set of problems -- with the main one being transportation. The site for the proposed ballpark is about five miles away from the Fremont BART stop, a direct contrast to the A's current home, which features nearby BART and Capitol Corridor stops.

 

Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele, who also serves as board chair for the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, said she had hoped to keep the A's in Oakland but is happy that the team likely will stay in the county.

 

"My first choice had been to keep them in Oakland, but they have a different vision that wouldn't use any taxpayers' money," Steele said. "They must be getting closer to getting this to work, too. ... This may not be the solution everybody wanted, but it may be OK."

 

Asked if she held out any hope for the A's remaining in Oakland, Steele said, "I'm beginning to hold out less."

 

The Coliseum board is expected to agree on Friday to begin discussions with the A's about extending their current lease at the Coliseum, something the team would need to give it time to build a new stadium, Steele said.

 

An A's spokesman said the organization had no comment on the possible Fremont deal.

The Associated Press and staff writer Chris Metinko contributed to this story

 

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews...ws/14328395.htm

Fremont...home to the Toyota Corolla.....A's Baseball in Fremont should be fun.

where's fremont?

where's fremont?

 

Between San Jose and Oakland in the South Bay. Still in Alameda County, so the A's will have no face-off against the Giants for territory.

 

 

Gertrude Stein once had a famous saying when referring to Oakland: "There is no there there."

 

If the A's go to Fremont then there really would be no "there" there, which is why Wolff would be trying to create a "there" with whatever mixed-use plan he has cooked up.

 

It's a bedroom community that suffered a lot when the dot-com boom ended. The place being touted as the location is (from what I have learned) currently zoned for industrial/tech. It would also be a radical departure from the general trend of locating major league facilities closer to city cores.

 

I think he'll cool off on the idea the closer he scrutinises it.

Gertrude Stein once had a famous saying when referring to Oakland: "There is no there there."

 

If the A's go to Fremont then there really would be no "there" there, which is why Wolff would be trying to create a "there" with whatever mixed-use plan he has cooked up.

 

It's a bedroom community that suffered a lot when the dot-com boom ended. The place being touted as the location is (from what I have learned) currently zoned for industrial/tech. It would also be a radical departure from the general trend of locating major league facilities closer to city cores.

 

I think he'll cool off on the idea the closer he scrutinises it.

 

Looks like he has almost completed a deal to lease the land from Oracle.

 

As for the trend to urban ballparks...looks like that may be dying off with the A's looking at Fremont and the Marlins looking at Hialeah. Creating your own "fun zone" is easier and more profitable than moving into someone else's.