The Port of Oakland announced this month the planned opening of a temporary container yard to help unclog the supply chain for agriculture exports.
The plan, hammered out in meetings with the Newsom administration, farm producers and transportation executives, would enable faster truck turnarounds, according to the port’s press release.
What the announcement didn’t mention was the yard’s location: Howard Terminal, the port property best known as the potential future site of the Oakland A’s $12 billion waterfront development and ballpark project.
The connection serves as a reminder that, unlike the Giants’ waterfront ballpark across the bay, the A’s site lies adjacent to a massive international shipping operation that moves more than 2.4 million cargo containers each year. Unless local officials take proper precautions, the project’s economic impact on consumers across California could be substantial.
During the pandemic, supply-chain kinks have awakened the nation to the importance of smooth-running shipping operations on both coasts. In Oakland each day, roughly 3,000 trucks travel in and out of the port, the eighth busiest in the nation.
If the A’s were to complete their ballpark, gamedays could attract up to 35,000 fans. The environmental report on the proposed project anticipates some would come on foot or by ferry, bike, bus or hired car.
But roughly a quarter would come by BART and then walk at least a mile to the game. And about half the fans would drive and then search for parking up to 1½ miles away. As they all converge on the stadium, they would have to traverse under Interstate 880 and then over or across the railroad tracks that thread through the street in front of Howard Terminal.
The fear of truckers, the railroad company and shipping operators who lease space along the waterfront is that all those cars, buses and pedestrians could snarl traffic in and out of the port. On Wednesday, they voiced frustration that city and port officials have broken off discussions about solutions.
This is a solvable problem. Howard Terminal is at the far southeast corner of the 1,300-acre seaport. So, with enough roadway improvements, new overpasses and fence barriers around the train tracks, port traffic could be segregated from significant gameday impact.
But that would take taxpayer money, roughly half a billion dollars to improve traffic flow at the port and around the ballpark. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, last year quietly slipped $280 million into the current state budget for “enhanced freight and passenger access in and around” the port.
Even if the A’s bail on Oakland, the port can keep the state money. But it’s not clear where the city would get the balance needed to make improvements if the ballpark is built.
The A’s have made clear that isn’t their problem. They won’t pay for offsite infrastructure to ease traffic congestion. That would be up to local, state or federal taxpayers.
Nor is it clear how much more taxpayers would subsidize the A’s massive development. When we left this saga last summer, the A’s and the city were negotiating the terms of the financing deal while team President Dave Kaval was undermining his past claims of loyalty to Oakland by shopping for a site in Las Vegas.
Nothing new about the financing has been reported since then. The A’s and the city are still negotiating. And Kaval is still trying to play Oakland and Las Vegas officials against each other.
The A’s aren’t rooted in Oakland. They’re following the money. The team’s multi-billionaire owner, John Fisher, plans a $12 billion development project for which the $1 billion ballpark is window dressing.
The big prizes are the 3,000 residential units, 1.5 million square feet of office space, 270,000 square feet of mixed retail, a 3,500-seat performance theater and 400 hotel rooms. That’s where the money is.
But the ballpark will provide the biggest logistical challenges for the city and the port. Port officials this month got a taste of what lies ahead.
The new container yard at Howard Terminal is expected to operate until supply-chain problems ease. Nevertheless, the port will have to relocate the containers and truckers who currently park there to rest while waiting for loads or freeway traffic to subside. According to the environmental report, 128 trucks an hour enter Howard Terminal during the day.
Port Executive Director Danny Wan says there is other port property for that. One possible site is a dirt lot on the north end that would need to be paved.
All that will take is money. Consider this a warm up for the logistical challenges to come if the A’s build their ballpark.
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