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Oakland OKs terms for $12B ballpark but A's aren't happy

Associated Press

Tags: Sports, politics, Government, Libby Schaaf, Business
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FILE - This rendering provided by the Oakland Athletics and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group shows an elevated view of the baseball club's proposed new at Howard Terminal in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (Courtesy of BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group/Oakland Athletics via AP, File)
Fans sit behind a sign that reads Stay in Oakland during the first inning of a baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and the Los Angeles Angels in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
Fans watch as Oakland Athletics' James Kaprielian pitches to a Los Angeles Angels batter during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Tuesday, July 20, 2021. The Oakland City Council approved on Tuesday preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu. File)
FILE - In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo Oakland Athletics President Dave Kaval, center, speaks beside Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, right, and Ces Butner, president of the Board of Port Commissioners, during a news conference in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved Tuesday, July 20, 201, preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. Schaaf and city council leaders praised the vote as marking a milestone in negotiations. Kaval said that the financial terms do not work for the team. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, FIle)
FILE In this March 25, 2020, file photo a banner has a welcome message to Oakland Athletics fans at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved Tuesday, July 20, 2021, preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (AP Photo/Ben Margot,File)
FILE - This rendering provided by the Oakland Athletics and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group shows an interior view of the baseball club's proposed new ballpark at Howard Terminal in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (Courtesy of BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group/Oakland Athletics via AP, File)
FILE - This rendering provided by the Oakland Athletics and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group, shows an exterior view of the baseball club's proposed new ballpark at Howard Terminal in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (Courtesy of BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group/Oakland Athletics via AP, File)
FILE - In this Friday, May 17, 2019, file photo, shipping cranes and a marina are near the Howard terminal area of the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)
FILE In this April 12, 2018 file, photo cranes for loading and unloading cargo are seen at the Howard terminal area of the Port of Oakland in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (AP Photo/Ben Margot, File)

FILE - This rendering provided by the Oakland Athletics and BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group shows an elevated view of the baseball club's proposed new at Howard Terminal in Oakland, Calif. The Oakland City Council approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Athletics, Tuesday, July 20, 2021. But it's not clear if the 6-1 vote will be enough to keep the A's at the negotiating table instead of leaving the city. (Courtesy of BIG - Bjarke Ingels Group/Oakland Athletics via AP, File)

OAKLAND, Calif. – The Oakland City Council on Tuesday approved preliminary terms for a new $12 billion waterfront ballpark project for the Oakland Athletics, but it's unclear if the vote will be enough to keep the baseball team at the negotiating table instead of leaving the San Francisco Bay Area city.

The 6-1 vote backed the proposal that requires the development to include affordable housing, tenant protections and environmental measures, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

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Mayor Libby Schaaf and council leaders said the vote marks a milestone in negotiations, despite city officials being able to reach a deal with the team in last-minute negotiations.

“This is the path to keeping the A’s rooted in Oakland in a way that protects our port and taxpayers and will produce the benefits our community demands and deserves,” the city leaders said in a statement.

But A's President Dave Kaval said the financial terms do not work for the team.

“To vote on something we have not been privy to and not had time to digest is a difficult thing for us. It’s hard to understand how that is a path forward," Kaval said at the meeting.

The A’s are the last professional franchise remaining in Oakland after the NBA's Golden State Warriors relocated to San Francisco and the NFL’s Raiders to Las Vegas. The defections weigh heavily on the Bay Area city of roughly 400,000 people, some of whom pleaded with the council Tuesday to work harder to keep the team and accompanying coliseum jobs.

Others, like Emily Wheeler, said good riddance: “The A’s are like an abusive boyfriend and you need to stand up to them."

The A’s project includes a $1 billion privately financed 35,000-seat waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal, 3,000 residential units, office and retail space, hotel rooms and an indoor performance center.

The team's lease at the aging RingCentral Coliseum runs through 2024. The league has said rebuilding at the current location is not a viable option. In May, Major League Baseball instructed Oakland’s brass to explore relocation options if no ballpark agreement could be reached.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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