Oakland A's Propose 6,000 New Homes

With negotiations in progress over the Oakland Athletics' move to a new ballpark, the baseball team wants to follow the Giants into the housing development business. The team's current home, Bill Shaikin writes, "is an uncomfortable throwback to the days when baseball and football teams shared generic stadiums lacking in charm and good sight lines."

Between them, the Athletics, the Giants, and the Rams have proposed to build 10,000 units over the next 13 years, Shaikin continues. "The Giants paid for their own ballpark. They now are building 1,500 homes within their Mission Rock neighborhood, across McCovey Cove from the ballpark, with shops, offices, and parkland included in the project, targeted for completion in 2025."

Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf is largely supportive of the A's proposal to build a new waterfront ballpark (possibly with a gondola), despite criticism the plan received from some quarters. "What makes me optimistic [about the plan to build homes] is that a team is not judged just by its monetary profits. It is judged by its contributions to its community," she said.

After their move, the A's want to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum site. "The team worked with community groups to prepare a plan that would include a park, youth sports facilities, an events center, shops, restaurants, offices and a technology campus," Shaikin writes. According to Athletics president Dave Kaval, the team's current proposal could potentially house 20,000 people.