Courthouse News Service: Public hearing highlights tension over Oakland A’s stadium proposal for Port of Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) — A $12 billion ballpark project proposed at California’s third largest port in Oakland took heat from many speakers at a contentious public hearing this week, as the deadline for a crucial approval step approaches.
While an environmental impact report (EIR) on the Oakland A’s proposed ballpark complex has Oakland City Council’s approval, three lawsuits are underway signifying concern many industry workers have over losing the Port’s Howard Terminal to a major development.
The San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) received 825 comments before a hearing Thursday about whether to remove Howard Terminal’s priority port use designation. BCDC holds the power to kill the project — the A’s need the designation removed to proceed. The Seaport Planning Advisory Committee, which advises BCDC on planning, voted to recommend preserving the waterfront site for maritime use.
