A's unveil Las Vegas ballpark renderings
The Oakland Athletics unveiled renderings for their proposed new ballpark in Las Vegas on Tuesday.
The plans call for the proposed 33,000-seat stadium to occupy nine acres of the 35-acre Tropicana Hotel site on the Las Vegas Strip. The team is expecting to open the stadium in 2028.
Together with @BIG_Architects and @HNTBCorp, we have unveiled the design for our new ballpark project in Las Vegas on the Tropicana site. BIG will serve as the design lead and HNTB as the sports/hospitality designer and architect of record.
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) March 5, 2024
Images by Negativ pic.twitter.com/mvpiCBXD54
"The collaboration between BIG's creativity and HNTB's technical expertise allows for a truly innovative and bold design while ensuring an unmatched fan experience," Athletics managing partner and owner John Fisher said in a statement. "We hope to add to the dynamic atmosphere and liveliness of the Las Vegas Strip, creating a welcoming environment for all of Southern Nevada."
Notable features of the proposed stadium include what would be the world's largest cable-net glass window and a roof featuring five overlapping arches, according to the A's release. The window would offer views of the Strip, while also shielding the field from being directly hit by the harsh desert sunlight. The 18,000-square-foot jumbotron would be the majors' largest stadium screen.
Plans for the entire ballpark site, including a resort being developed in collaboration with Bally's, will be announced later.
MLB owners unanimously approved the A's request to relocate to Las Vegas in November following repeated ill-fated attempts to build in Oakland and elsewhere in the Bay Area. The A's lease at the Oakland Coliseum - their home since moving to Oakland from Kansas City in 1968 - expires after this season.
While commissioner Rob Manfred called the team's Vegas plans "solid," the potential move has caused no shortage of controversy. The Nevada State Education Association recently filed a lawsuit to try and block $380 million in public funds from being used to build the stadium. Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman recently suggested the A's would be better off staying in Oakland before walking the comments back, while Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has expressed doubts that the move will actually come to fruition.
Oakland city council member Rebecca Kaplan shared her criticism of the Vegas renderings as compared to her city's past proposals:
These renderings again show that building the new ballpark in Oakland would be easier, faster, and cheaper. Plus stronger fan support, more TV revenue, better transportation access. In Oakland can have the approx. 15 acres desired, at an approved site. And better financially.
— Rebecca Kaplan, Oakland Vice Mayor (@Kaplan4Oakland) March 5, 2024
The A's are yet to announce plans for a temporary home from 2025-27 while the Las Vegas ballpark is built. Possible options include playing in Triple-A ballparks in either Salt Lake City or Sacramento, or negotiating a lease extension to stay in Oakland temporarily.