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Odds slim A's will move to Fremont

Ballpark scout expects to make recommendation within two months

By Paul T. Rosynsky, STAFF WRITER

OAKLAND -- The Oakland A's ballpark scout says a new stadium likely would be built in an urban setting -- bad news for those who favor moving the team to Fremont or other suburban cities.
Lew Wolff, the A's vice president for venue development, said he will make a recommendation to the team's owners within two months on possible locations for a ballpark in the East Bay.

"We are not too far away from focusing on sites," Wolff said. "Within 30 to 60 days, there will be more focus on what may be a possibility."

Although Wolff refused to specify possible locations, he said a new ballpark most likely would have to be built in an urban setting similar to the team's current home at the McAfee Coliseum.

"Most ballparks need to be more urban these days ... the Coliseum, I would consider urban," he said.



A 2002 consultant's study identified a vacant 107-acre parcel in Fremont -- in the Warm Springs district between New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. and South Grimmer Boulevard -- as one of the most suitable sites in the East Bay for a new ballpark.

That site -- between Interstate 680 and Interstate 880, near the site of the planned Warm Springs BART station -- ranked higher than Howard Terminal but behind two other Oakland sites: a 12.5-acre parcel uptown, now planned for a mixed housing and retail development and the parking lot next to the existing Coliseum.

Another possibility would be to move the team even farther south.

Wolff is friends with San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales, owns a part of the San Jose Fairmont Hotel and built the San Jose Park Center Plaza.

But the A's would have to overcome several hurdles for such a move, including the San Francisco Giants club, which owns territorial rights to Santa Clara County.

Wolff, meanwhile, said the team wants to stay in the East Bay and is willing to "contribute a good piece" of the costs for a new stadium.

A city-commissioned study in 2001, which identified seven potential sites within Alameda County that could host a new ballpark, found costs for such a project would range from $385 million to $565 million.

Last week, team co-owners Steve Schott and Ken Hofmann gave Wolff -- a luxury hotel and real estate developer -- a one-year contract extension.

In addition to maintaining his position as vice president for venue development, Wolff also will continue to have an option to buy a portion of the team should he find a site for a new ballpark.

Wolff, who has owned other sports franchises, joined the A's last November and immediately began talking with local officials about possible locations for a new stadium.

City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, who also chairs the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority, said he has had four meetings with Wolff, including one Friday.

"I am a strong believer that it is possible for the A's to build a new home in Oakland," De La Fuente said. "It could be part of a major development of commercial retail and housing."

Alameda County Supervisor Gail Steele, also a member of the Authority, said, "I don't think they want to leave and go somewhere else."