While the A’s approach a crucial juncture in their quest for a Las Vegas ballpark, the city of Oakland is now free to negotiate with other entities on the site where the team initially planned to build.
The A’s exclusive negotiating window on Howard Terminal expired on Friday night, allowing the city to explore other options. Oakland has secured at least $375 million in grants toward infrastructure around the site and has removed Howard Terminal’s designation as being exclusively for port use.
The A’s had planned a new stadium and surrounding neighborhood there, which would’ve included housing, retail, restaurants, and park space.
A’s fans used the public meeting on the expiration of the negotiating window to urge the city to reengage the A’s, showing the team that a stadium could be constructed quickly.
The expiration doesn’t eliminate the possibility of the city striking a deal with the A’s, though at the moment the team’s efforts are focused on Las Vegas.
Nevada legislators are expected to consider a bill providing state assistance to the team, but the A’s haven’t yet committed to a location for a Las Vegas-based stadium, with both the Bally’s-run Tropicana site and a 49-acre area owned by Red Rock Casino both in play.
Nevada’s legislative session ends on June 5. It is unclear whether the governor would call a special session to continue talks if a stadium bill fails to pass before then.
