San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
A’s make offer to purchase site in Las Vegas area
The A’s have put in an offer to buy a piece of land in the Las Vegas area that could potentially hold a new ballpark if the team were to relocate there, The Chronicle confirmed.
The exact location of the site is unclear and the A’s still are actively negotiating with landowners of other possible sites. The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the A’s had made an offer.
Since getting permission from MLB to explore possible relocation in May, A’s officials have made a series of trips to the Las Vegas area to scout sites for a potential ballpark and meet with local officials.
In September, team president Dave Kaval said the A’s had looked at about 20 sites in locations including the Las Vegas resort corridor and nearby areas like Henderson and Summerlin.
Kaval said the A’s planned to release a list of finalist sites later this month. The team has narrowed its search to a few sites but no longer plans to release a list with negotiations progressing.
News of a Las Vegas offer emerged the same day that Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf announced the city is receiving federal funds aimed at improving infrastructure in Jack London Square — a key aspect of negotiations with the A’s over the team’s proposed waterfront ballpark development in Oakland.
Kaval has said the A’s are on “parallel paths” pursuing a new venue in Oakland and Las Vegas, and said Friday the Oakland announcement “puts us closer to getting this project in front of the (City) Council for a binding vote.”
Of the negotiations in Las Vegas in the meantime, Kaval said, “That’s moving pretty quickly.”
Schaaf said Friday she expects the A’s proposed project in Oakland — which includes a $1 billion privately financed ballpark at Howard Terminal — to go before the city council for a final vote early next year. The city is working to complete the final environmental review of the project and still is negotiating with the A’s on financial terms.
The A’s, whose lease at the Coliseum runs through 2024, have expressed urgency to gain a resolution to their stadium pursuit. A’s officials last visited the Las Vegas area two weeks ago, days after the World Series ended, and the team sent an email survey to fans of the A’s and Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators this month for input on how a majorleague baseball team would be received in Las Vegas.
Oakland Athletics president Dave Kaval in September said the A’s had looked at about 20 sites in locations including the Las Vegas resort corridor and nearby areas.