Oakland Ballpark

Lore & Background

The search for a new Oakland ballpark began in 2001 with a proposed Uptown site, rejected by then-Mayor Jerry Brown over concerns it would harm housing development. A site near the Oakland Estuary was also considered but dismissed by the Athletics due to lack of public transit. In 2005, owner Lewis Wolff proposed a ballpark on 66th Avenue north of the Coliseum, including a Ballpark Village with shops and a hotel or apartment building. The following year, Wolff took the proposal to Fremont, California, where Cisco Field was announced in 2006 with a 32,000 to 35,000 capacity. That plan collapsed in 2009 after public resistance over traffic, noise, and pollution.

In 2010, the City of Oakland proposed a waterfront site at Victory Court near Jack London Square, but tabled it in 2011 in favor of a three-venue development at the Coliseum site called Coliseum City. A 2012 proposal to build Cisco Field in San Jose was blocked by the San Francisco Giants' territorial rights, and the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case in 2015. The Athletics then returned to Oakland, choosing the Peralta area near Laney College in 2017, but that was rejected by the college board and Chinatown neighbors. In 2018, the team chose the Port of Oakland/Howard Terminal site and released renderings. The project's environmental impact report was certified in 2022, and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission removed Howard Terminal as port priority use. However, after the Athletics acquired land in Las Vegas in 2023, the City of Oakland ended negotiations, terminating the project.

Reader's Guide

The Oakland Ballpark saga represents a decades-long effort to secure a modern baseball-only stadium for the Athletics in Oakland, reflecting broader challenges in urban stadium development, including site selection, public financing, community opposition, and territorial rights disputes. The Howard Terminal Ballpark was the last of several proposals—spanning from Uptown Oakland to Fremont to San Jose—each failing due to political, financial, or logistical obstacles. The project's collapse in 2023, following the Athletics' move toward Las Vegas, marked the end of Oakland's bid to retain its MLB franchise. The failed proposals highlight the difficulty of balancing team ownership ambitions, municipal priorities, and community interests in major sports infrastructure. The Howard Terminal site, a former container cargo terminal owned by the Port of Oakland, remains undeveloped for baseball. The legacy of these efforts is a cautionary tale about the complexities of stadium politics and the economic pressures that can drive a franchise to relocate.

Did You Know?

• The Howard Terminal site was previously used as a marine terminal for container cargo operations and is owned by the Port of Oakland.
• The 2006 Cisco Field proposal in Fremont was announced with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig and Cisco CEO John Chambers in attendance.
• The 2012 San Jose proposal was blocked because the San Francisco Giants refused to cede their territorial rights to Santa Clara County.
• The 2017 Peralta area proposal near Laney College was rejected by the college board and surrounding Chinatown neighbors.