A’s Take Big Swing With Purchase Of Land Near Las Vegas Strip

 

Last week, the Oakland Athletics indicated to the world their intention to relocate to Las Vegas. The Major League Baseball team sealed a binding agreement to buy 49 acres of land near the Vegas Strip from Red Rock Resorts, also known as Station Casinos.

The team and the Las Vegas casino operator did not disclose the cost of the land or a potential sale timeline. However, Jordan Bender, a gaming analyst at JMP Securities, suggests that Station Casinos could garner $150 million from the land sale.

This move has been speculated about for a few years, but it’s still nearer to the start than the finish.

Where the A’s stadium will be built

The binding agreement of the A’s to buy land from Station Casinos is located just west of the I-15 on Tropicana. This place was previously occupied by the Wild Wild West Casino, which shut down last year.

Station Casinos continues to hold ownership of 50 acres of land next to the plot it intends to sell to the A’s. The company has not yet disclosed its plans for either developing or selling the leftover land.

Station Casinos might potentially construct a casino and hotel on the property. Alternatively, the Las Vegas-based casino operator could sell the leftover land to another company for development, providing Station Casinos with funds for a new casino in Henderson. The company’s previous endeavor to run a casino near the Vegas Strip concluded when they sold Palms.

Currently, The Orleans is the nearest casino to the A’s stadium. The Boyd Gaming casino, which is about a mile walk west from the proposed stadium location, could add an interesting element to the A’s land deal.

The estimated cost of the MLB stadium is reported to be between $1 billion and $1.6 billion. The project might also incorporate other facilities like a concert amphitheater.

It’s just the beginning of a years-long process

Before the Oakland A’s can formally prepare for their life as the Las Vegas A’s, there are several steps to be taken. The initial step is the binding agreement to purchase land for their stadium. At present, the team is in negotiations to receive help in constructing a 35,000-seat stadium near Allegiant Stadium.

The A’s will need to get approval from MLB to relocate once the stadium deal is negotiated. However, this seems almost guaranteed as Rob Manfred, the MLB Commissioner, has expressed his support for the A’s moving to Las Vegas.

Once the A’s secure the stadium deal and receive approval from MLB for the move, they will probably proceed with the purchase of the land and push forward.

However, there’s still more to come!

The lease for the Athletics to play home games at Oakland Coliseum is set to expire after the 2024 season. The team’s planned stadium in Las Vegas is not expected to be complete until 2027, if everything proceeds as scheduled.

Finding a temporary home

If the A’s fail to secure a two-year lease to play in California during construction, they might have their home games in Las Vegas. They could play in the Las Vegas Ball Park in Summerlin, the current home field of their Triple-A team, the Las Vegas Aviators. The park currently has a seating capacity of 10,000.

Should this occur, the stadium that opened in 2019 will require renovations. The primary alteration would involve replacing the grass field with artificial turf. Maintaining the grass in optimal condition for an additional 81 games amid Las Vegas’s summer temperatures would be almost unfeasible.

Infrastructure changes would also be necessary to upgrade the stadium to MLB specifications.

A’s looking for $600K in public assistance to build stadium

Before the A’s are granted permission by MLB to leave Oakland, they must secure a deal for a stadium construction. This is likely to prevent the A’s from finalizing their land purchase from Station Casinos.

The A’s will contribute $1 billion for a new MLB stadium in Las Vegas. They are seeking around $600,000 in public aid to fully finance the stadium.

Details regarding the public funding for a stadium have not yet been discussed. Numerous possibilities are currently being considered. The most favored concept seems to be the extension of the Stadium District surrounding Allegiant Stadium to the area where the A’s stadium is proposed to be constructed. This strategy was initially given the green light in 2021.

Michael Naft, Clark County Commissioner, informed KNTV Las Vegas that there is a possibility.

“This is largely about utilizing any new taxes that are coming from that stadium district.”

He states that it wouldn’t be a tax money handout. Instead, Clark County would expect a return on its investment. The objective is to prepare a plan before the current legislative session concludes in June.

A’s strike labor union deal on stadium construction

Even though the A’s have not yet devised a financial plan for the stadium, they have negotiated a deal with the union to construct it. Last week, the A’s and Southern Nevada Building Trades agreed on a Project Labor Agreement for the new stadium’s construction.

The union’s executive secretary-treasurer, Vince Saavedra, is enthusiastic about the project.

“Our members are ready and eager to get to work on this project. And we look forward to partnering with the A’s to create a state-of-the-art stadium.”

Can the A’s build a team that locals will rally behind?

The A’s are just beginning their transition to Las Vegas. We should expect a lot of activity in the coming months.

After the negotiations are completed, there will be a pause before the construction of the new MLB stadium is scheduled to start next year.

Once all the off-field tasks are completed, the discussion will turn to whether the A’s will establish an MLB franchise that will garner the support of Las Vegas residents.