The Oakland City Council voted to begin talks with five bidders for the Coliseum site, the current A’s ballpark, Tuesday night.
The non-binding negotiations with five groups interested in buying the city's share of the Coliseum property have officially started.
The property is valued at over $100 million. The bidders include the A's, and several other sports and real estate developers.
The city council will also host a community workshop Wednesday to look over the A's proposed $12 billion financing deal for a new ballpark at Howard Terminal.
Mayor Libby Schaaf has pledged that the deal will not repeat past mistakes, and include elements of affordable housing. "We are not going to have another Raider’s deal. We are planning to do something in partnership with the community and the Oakland A’s," said Schaaf.
According to Schaaf, the city also wants the team to agree to a non-relocation agreement which would keep the A's in Oakland for 45 years.
"It is not just good for our baseball fans to keep our A’s rooted here in Oakland, but will actually catalyze incredible community improvements that will benefit generations to come," said the mayor.
The workshops will culminate with a critical vote on the financing proposal by July 20. The A's say the $1 billion ballpark would be privately financed, but infrastructure improvements would be paid for with taxes from Howard Terminal and Jack London Square, which could be a deal breaker for the city.
The A's have warned they might leave Oakland if there are any delays.
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