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November 19, 2008
A's stadium hearing set
The Oakland A's stadium finance plan may be up in the air, but the paperwork is moving forward: The city of Fremont yesterday set a public hearing for December 8 at 6:30 pm at Fremont City Hall, plus opened up a 30-day window for public comments on the plan. "If we get a whole bunch of comments that say this isn't an appropriate plan for the site [environmentally], then the A's would have to regroup," Fremont community development director Jill Keimach. (Brackets courtesy of the Fremont Argus; it will be interesting to see if, say, worries about traffic nightmares count as an "environmental" issue.)
The Argus also notes this at the very end of its article:
As part of the environmental review, an alternative proposal to build the stadium adjacent to the Warm Springs BART station also will be studied.
Although that proposal would provide better BART access and would be farther from a protected wildlife habitat, the team has no rights to the land, and officials from an auto plant near the site oppose any housing development.
Probably nothing to it, but still interesting that they bothered to include it.
this disaster should never be built ... it is absolutely irresponsible in that it has no convenient public transit options available in an already clogged freeway. wolff is a crook and is only looking to screw the taxpayers.
ML
Posted by mark l. on November 21, 2008 11:19 AM
There's actually an interesting discussion of the traffic issues going on in the comment thread over at:
http://baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1108
Posted by Neil on November 21, 2008 12:12 PM
Actually that "clogged" freeway isn't half as clogged anymore. The Mission Blvd bottleneck that was the source of much of the "clogging" was opened up this week. As for screwing the taxpayers. I don't see how you figure they're getting screwed. Last I checked even the revised project still wasn't asking for taxpayer money. At least not yet.
Posted by Dan on November 21, 2008 01:06 PM
Actually that "clogged" freeway isn't half as clogged anymore. The Mission Blvd bottleneck that was the source of much of the "clogging" was opened up this week. As for screwing the taxpayers. I don't see how you figure they're getting screwed. Last I checked even the revised project still wasn't asking for taxpayer money. At least not yet.
Posted by Dan on November 21, 2008 01:13 PM
dan - don't post things twice, dummy.
you're wrong. wolff has not revealed financing plans ... and only way he'll be able to make it work will be subsidies ... which ultimately are funded by TAXPAYERS. got it???????????????????????????????????????????
Posted by jock on November 21, 2008 03:48 PM
No I don't. Please explain where you see subsidies?
Posted by Dan on November 21, 2008 03:51 PM
Be nice, Jock - the comment script sometimes posts things twice all on its own. (It did it to me earlier today.)
The main potential for subsidies is if Wolff asks for tax increment financing (TIF), where he would get his property taxes kicked back to him - the site is in a redevelopment zone, so this remains pretty likely, though Wolff has been careful not to go into specifics yet. I think at this point we have to classify the question of who'd be paying for the project as "too soon to tell."
Posted by Neil on November 21, 2008 05:16 PM
Guys, let's not debate about something you know nothing about. I know that you don't know about the financing plan because it hasn't even been worked out as yet ... not even I know how I'll raise so much money! The more I think about this development, the more I have my doubts ... I'm seriously considering moving to Sacramento.
Posted by Lew Wolff on December 1, 2008 03:30 PM
Please, Please, Wolff. Moving out to Sacramento
is good for you. You are not welcomed at all in almost all the Fremont residents for this A's Ballpark. Silly idea! Please, get out of Fremont.
Actually, the miles of I-880,237,680 jointing are so critical for whole East and South Bay, like Dubling, Livermore, San Jose, Milpitas, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Union City, Hayward, etc. This is not a single simply issue of Fremont at all, since the unique location of the area. What a sense to build a ballpark if no one want to live or go there. Only when baseball is playing??? Man, stupid and nonsense idea for this A's plan. I suggest Wollf should stay and live in the area for one year to help him wake up.
Posted by Joe on December 13, 2008 11:42 AM