The East Oakland Stadium Alliance (EOSA) hosted a community meeting on Wednesday to educate and engage West Oakland residents on the impacts of the Oakland Athletics’ proposed ballpark stadium and luxury condo and office development at Howard Terminal on Market Street, in the heart of the industrial working port.  

After over a year-long delay, the City issued a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the project at the end of February. The DEIR identifies a number of significant and unavoidable impacts that the project will have on the local environment, such as air quality, noise, and transportation hazards. With only 60 days to review a very technical and complex, 6,000-page document, West Oakland stakeholders and industry leaders came together during an open forum to discuss the project, review the DEIR process, and answer community members’ questions. 

West Oakland Resident Mercedes Rodriguez said the project would result in a “real big impact” on the community. She expressed concerns about the impacts on local residents due to increased traffic on game days and for special events. 

“We will have to pay for residential parking permits and that’s not fair,” said Rodriguez. “The A’s have not adequately addressed this concern.”

Melvin McKay, Vice President of ILWU Local 10, which employees represent Longshoremen at the Port of Oakland, emphasized the significant disruption the development would cause for the port and the jobs that would be threatened because of it.  

Aaron Wright, another ILWU leader, displayed life live footage for attendees to see the Port in action and explained how the loss of Howard Terminal would delay trucks coming in and out and lead current port customers to seek other, more reliable options. 

“We know what it is to make a good living and I know for a fact this will be bad for our industry,” said Wright.

“We have been at the Port for a long time and we know what it takes to move containers, and we know once the hotels and condominiums are built, the residents will go back to the City and complain about the noise and try to limit our hours or shut us down,” McKay added.

When asked about the purpose of Howard Terminal, McKay explained the Terminal has helped to get idling trucks waiting to pick up a container off West Oakland streets. Taking away this space will once again create congestion In West Oakland that residents have fought to minimize.

Mike Jacob, Vice President & General Counsel for Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, noted air quality is a major concern. Given the changes Port businesses have made to become more environmentally sustainable, a ballpark at Howard Terminal would create a “new emission source” and undermine investments businesses have made.

When asked about railroad safety, given the active railroad lines that run along the front of the entire Howard Terminal site, Jacobs said, “We know the importance of rail to the port and we know the importance of rail safety. It’s reckless to ask people to cross the tracks to get to a baseball game without providing fully grade separate crossings at all intersections.”

“It’s pretty shameful,” he added.

The City of Oakland Planning Commission will conduct a public hearing on the DEIR for the Oakland Waterfront Ballpark District Project on Wednesday, April 21 at 3:00 p.m. The hearing will be held online via Zoom and meeting information can be accessed on the following website: https://www.oaklandca.gov/boards-commissions/planning-commission

The final day to comment on the DEIR is April 27th. Comments can be submitted electronically at https://comment-tracker.esassoc.com/oaklandsportseir/index.html.

For more information about EOSA or to submit a petition opposing the Howard Terminal ballpark, go to www.eastoaklandstadiumalliance.com.

Mia Lane

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