Reports: A’s pivot on stadium deal, find potential new home in Vegas
May 10, 2023, 8:56 AM | Updated: 9:04 am
Oakland Athletics fans display signs during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at RingCentral Coliseum on April 29, 2023 in Oakland, California. The signs refer to the team's potential move to Las Vegas. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
(Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
As a baseball team, the Oakland A’s are familiar with curveballs.
In April, the team announced they signed a binding purchase agreement for 49 acres of land in Las Vegas, where a new stadium could be built. The $1.5 billion, 35,000-seat stadium would include a retractable roof and house events outside of baseball.
However, that plan wasn’t well received because. The team was reportedly asking for $500 million in public funding from the state to build the stadium.
On Tuesday, the curveball was delivered. According to the Howard Stutz of the Nevada Independent, the team has pivoted to a new location in Las Vegas.
The Oakland A’s and Bally’s Corp. have an agreement in place for the team to build a $1.5 billion stadium on a portion of the Tropicana Las Vegas site, a move expected to reduce the amount of public financing sought for the project to $395 million.
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations told The Nevada Independent on Tuesday that under the scope of the deal, Bally’s plans to demolish the Tropicana and allow the A’s to construct a 35,000-seat retractable roof stadium on 9 acres of the 34-acre site on Tropicana Avenue near the southern end of the Las Vegas Strip.
The Nevada Independent goes on to say the original timeline — breaking ground in 2024 with an opening date of either 2027 or 2028 — is still the goal for the team.
A’s pivot to new site for Vegas baseball stadium, lowering public funding request https://t.co/kv93HtL569 @TheNVIndy
— Howard Stutz (@howardstutz) May 9, 2023
What happened to the binding agreement in the original deal? The team could get out of the original “binding agreement” if they fail to secure public funding.
Multiple outlets are reporting that owner John Fisher and the Oakland A’s have yet to propose an office plan to Nevada lawmakers.
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