Font Resize"I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's," Diaz said. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the city of Fremont, then we'll find it
and make that happen."
The Fremont city manager's comments come after Wolff briefly met April 3 with Fremont City Council members and staffers, including Diaz and Daren Fields, Fremont's economic development director.
Some city officials also were at a March 29 meeting in which Wolff told more than 200 people he is seriousabout pursuing a new ballpark on Fremont land.
If a deal between Cisco and the A's is completed, the next step would be for the team to submit a development application for the site, adjacent to Interstate 880 and just south of the Pacific Commons shopping center. An environmental impact report for the land then would be issued; that would take about 12 months.
Talks have progressed so far that only a few issues, such as stadium naming rights, remain unresolved, Diaz said: "That is my understanding through (talking with) Lew Wolff."
However, Diaz said he does not rule out the possibility of the A's staying in Oakland or moving to San Jose or another city.
"I have never underestimated the competition ... in
Wolff and a Cisco representative have declined to comment on the negotiations.
When asked about Fremont sites, Wolff told The Argus last week, "You can close your eyes and picture that part of the Bay Area 10 years from now. It's going to be a growth area."
Wolff said Fremont has land that could fit "our idea of a baseball village. It will be more than just a ballpark."
In fact, it could include a hotel connected to the ballpark, thousands of houses and a major retail complex. The A's could use money from the mixed-use development to finance the stadium and avoid touching public funds, Wolff said.
Cisco first leased the 143-acre property in 2000, and the San Jose tech company has an option to buy the land between 2007 and 2010. Cisco prepaid about $100 million in rent and also paid infrastructure costs on the parcel, Fields said.
Even if Cisco and the A's complete an agreement, there are many details to be worked out. Access to the Pacific Commons site is a potential problem. The Fremont BART station is about five miles from the Pacific Commons site, so traffic could cause problems in the area adjacent to one of the Bay Area's busiest freeways.
By comparison, AT&T Park in San Francisco provides access for fans through a combination of nearby Caltrain and Muni rail line stations, a ferry stop behind the stadium and BART lines several blocks away on Market Street. Oakland's McAfee Coliseum features nearby BART and Capitol Corridor stops that take thousands of fans to and from each game.
But those details can be worked out, Wolff said. "Everybody is looking for the negative here," he said. "There are lots of issues, and we'll deal with all of them. I don't have all the answers this minute."
Wolff, a Los Angeles developer, co-owns the team with billionaire John Fisher, son of Gap founder Don Fisher. Wolff has turned to Fremont because he says believes the team needs a new ballpark to replace its , 40-year-old Oakland home.
A Fremont ballpark would allow the A's to tap into the corporate dollars of Silicon Valley without invading the South Bay territorial rights, which belong to the San Francisco Giants. In Fremont, the team also would stay close to the East Bay suburbs along the Interstate 680 corridor.
Last season, the A's drew more fans than 11 other teams, including six that have new, retro-style ballparks that baseball Commissioner Bud Selig claims the A's need.
But for Major League Baseball and its ballparks, age seems to trump attendance figures. The St. Louis Cardinals, whose attendance for years has been among league leaders despite playing at aging Busch Stadium, on Monday christened a new $365 million ballpark also called Busch Stadium.
In New York, despite being baseball's richest team and a perennial contender playing in the fabled "House that (Babe) Ruth Built," a proposed new Yankee Stadium is being planned at a cost of $800 million, with New York taxpayers on the hook for at least $400 million.
In Washington, D.C., last month, council members approved spending $611 million in public funds on a new ballpark for the Washington Nationals.
However, the A's will not ask Fremont taxpayers to pay the estimated $400 million cost of their new home, Wolff said.
"It's important to understand that we're not looking for the city of Fremont to write checks for this," Wolff said. "We're not looking at bond issues, and we're not looking to touch the general fund. We have a process that we think would work for everybody."
Staff writer Chris De Benedetti covers Fremont. He can be reached at (510) 353-7002 or cdebenedetti@angnewspapers.com.
