The report, presented this week to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors and the Oakland City Council, provided information on seven potential sites that public officials and Oakland A's management agreed could produce a 42,000-seat venue by 2006.

According to Rosie Rios, with the Oakland Community and Economic Development Agency, most of the major decisions, such as location and financing options, will have to be addressed this year in order to have the ballpark complete by 2006. A preliminary finance report is expected in the spring.

The report takes into account factors such as accessibility, parking and traffic and how the venue would mesh with its surroundings. It also establishes cost limitations, although not in concrete terms.

The report cites three potential sites as the most likely alternatives for the proposed ballpark. A site in Fremont is listed in second place, and in third comes a site at the Howard Terminal in Oakland near Jack London Square.

HOK representatives said that the Uptown location, which is located between Telegraph and San Pablo avenues near 20th Street, would be the most ideal site for an urban ballpark.

They pointed to the HOK-built Oriel Park in Baltimore, Jacobs Field in Cleveland and Coors Field in Denver as locations that have revitalized their urban surroundings, incorporating views of skyscrapers and downtown and bringing new life into debilitated downtowns.

The Fremont site, on the other hand, is considered a suburban setting, and although it is located close to a strong A's fan base and is adjacent to a future BART station, it is close to residential neighborhoods and would not provide enough space to accommodate parking. The Howard Terminal site, which would provide for a waterfront park near Jack London Square in Oakland, would also have parking and transportation issues.

Instant Insights /

Uptown Cited as Ideal for A's Ballpark

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