Ball Park Digest

by Zach Spedden on November 18, 2017 in Major-League Baseball, News

Over 80% of respondents to a new poll favor the Oakland A’s remaining at the current Coliseum site, instead of building a new ballpark at the team’s preferred location near Laney College.

Oakland Rising, a group that is opposed to the A’s pitch to construct a new ballpark near Laney College, released the results of a poll on Friday that showed overwhelming support for the team remaining in East Oakland, where the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum is located. The A’s announced their preferred site after considering multiple options, including the current Coliseum location and Howard Terminal. Several advantages for the team’s preferred site have been noted, such as its access to the Lake Merrit BART Station and proximity to amenities in downtown Oakland and the surrounding neighborhoods.

The A’s revealed their preferred option in September, but there were signs of opposition before that announcement, as concerns were expressed that the ballpark project could lead to area residents and businesses being displaced. Oakland Rising’s poll asked participants “should the A’s stay at the Coliseum and invest in East Oakland?,” and produced a result that was starkly different from another recently-released poll. More from East Bay Times:

The 2,526 Oakland voters were asked, “should the A’s stay at the Coliseum and invest in East Oakland?” according to Oakland Rising, a consortium of nine grassroots organizations which conducted the survey.

“This poll is a true reflection of what Oakland communities want,” Oakland Rising Executive Director Jessamyn Sabbag said in a statement. “The people we spoke with oppose constructing a stadium at the Laney site which would inevitably push out and could destroy historic cultural neighborhoods.”

In all, 82 percent favored the A’s staying at the Coliseum, while 13 percent were opposed. The findings run counter to an Oakland Chamber of Commerce poll of 500 Oakland voters released last week which found support for the Peralta Community College District site by a 2-1 margin. Chamber members have stood in support of a Peralta stadium.