OAKLAND — The Oakland A’s proposal to build a 35,000-seat stadium along the estuary by 2023 could bring with it more than 6,100 jobs, and a $7.3 billion kick to the local economy over its first decade, according to a report commissioned by the A’s.
The ballpark, which still needs land-use approvals, is one of the largest projects in the works in the Bay Area in terms of size, said Jeff Bellisario, director of the Bay Area Council Economic Institute, the economic think tank that released the report. Between the baseball park itself, and the proposed office buildings, hotels, apartment complexes, and retail centers and performance venue that will surround it, the 6.6-acre project is estimated to be staffed by 6,119, the report said.
That figure includes both full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs, Bellisario said in an interview. Most of the jobs are expected to come from the businesses that would rent out office space in the development, he said.
With little commercial office space available in both Oakland and San Francisco, the proposed development could be very attractive to companies looking for a new home base, he said.
“A lot of the biggest developments in the Bay Area are very housing focused,” Bellisario said. “With the commercial space, companies will see a benefit to moving to Oakland and have it be a slightly more affordable option than San Francisco.”
The economic institute estimates that the wages for those jobs, in addition to the spending at the ballpark and surrounding businesses, equates to around a $7.3 billion stimulus across 10 years — about $902 million a year.
“It’s a really big opportunity for the city and the region,” Bellisario said.
The $7.3 billion figure doesn’t take into account the Athletics’ proposal to build an aerial tram that would transport people from downtown Oakland to the stadium. If that plan becomes reality, the increased foot traffic could bring another $685 million in spending over 10 years, according to the report.
The report comes amid concerns voiced by some maritime industry leaders and longshoremen that the project will disrupt port operations and prompt businesses to leave, taking jobs with them. Andy Garcia, chairman of the board at container transporter GSC Logistics, at a Port of Oakland commissioners meeting in May, likened building the proposed ballpark to putting a “playground in the middle of an assembly line.”
Bellisario said the Bay Area Council Economic Institute’s report focused on the revenue and wages generated from the proposed development itself, and didn’t look into that issue.
Port officials on May 16 sent letters to the port’s 85 tenants and shippers around the world confirming the port’s commitment to increasing its shipping capacity, and assuring them that the agreement with the A’s calls on the team to create a “buffer zone” between any proposed housing and nearby seaport businesses’ footprints.
