Site Proposal: Pacific Commons, Fremont CA

by ST on Feb 14, 2006 3:39 PM PST

I was about shopping last night and ventured to the new Pacific Commons retail site constructed at the Automall Parkway off of I880. The site presently houses retail and of course the automall car dealership section, but there is a huge empty lot adjacent by that is vacant. Further research into this site reveils the following:

http://acerider.org/maps/pacific_commons/Catellus_Pacific_Commons_Site_Plan.GIF

It looks as if it is going to be zoned for a corporate campus, but with lots of available space available throughout the valley because of the economy, this might be a stretch.

Further thought on this turned today when I read upon Blez's interview with Lew Wolff who mentioned:

Blez: "You mentioned Fremont. Is that a realistic option right now?"

Wolff: "We're hoping it is. They have sent out welcoming signals. If we can't stay in Oakland, we want to stay in Alameda County and if we're going to stay in Alameda County, that area would be very good for us. It's close to our existing fan base, it has BART and it's close to San Jose as well as the freeways."

This would be a great place IF the stagnant negotiations with the Oakland JPA goes nil. Although it doesn't have readily accessible BART port at the present, it can be extended with the corporate help of one of Fremont's largest employer: NUMMI (Toyota and GM) who are just right across the freeway. Now for those familiar with this area, it has heavy congested during traffic hours, though fortunately it is in the midst of a badly-needed widening effort.

Fremont would appease Lewis' desire for the south bay interest, but at the same time satisfy the Contra Costa / Alameda baseball "territorial" rights he has. The Pacific common site has the commercial aspect he is acquainted with as a developer, and opportune transportation system in place.

Poll

Where should Lew Wolff move the A's to?

Keep bribing his college buddy Selig and get the territorial, celestial, and subterranial ;) rights to San Jose

25 votes

Buy out the Bellagio and incorporate a new stadium with the Fountains in the backdrop and a wedding with every HR!

7 votes

Explore Portland and / or Sacramento and make a real AAAA team competing against both MLB and AAA!

7 votes

Check out Fremont, as the compromise between all of the above!

62 votes

Keep 1 yr options open indefintely and beat his head with the Oakland JPA

11 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 25 comments

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Comments

Ha ha!

I like the Bellagio option for sheer creativity.

Maybe they could build an underground ballpark with water slides on top that take you to your seat!

"Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move." - Satchel Paige

by McFood on Feb 14, 2006 3:53 PM PST 0 recs

you know...

Celine could sing the National Anthem, and Cirque De Soleil (sp?) could perform at the 7th inning stretch. Or Lew can get really smart, buy out a part of the Primadonna Resorts hotel chain, and call our team The Las Vegas Athletics of New York! New York! Heck even ESPN can't ignore us now on Sportscenter since we're OF BOTH coast!

Billy Beane: "....it's way cooler to be an a's fan". Larry Kreuger: "....but i like our old decripity eroding worse tomorrow then they are today team"

by ST on Feb 14, 2006 4:05 PM PST up 0 recs

NO Celine

But we could hire whoever is the Vegas magician du jour as an Illusion Consultant that could teach each infielder how to make a ball "appear" in his glove even when the real game ball has left the park (or at least the infield)... 27 quick outs, coming up!

Just because ArakSOT insists: MaElLuvR

by Poppy on Feb 14, 2006 4:36 PM PST up 0 recs

As long as the Las Vegas A's are on both coasts ..

can I sell you some ocean front property within minutes of the new ballpark?

Check out some awesome music ...

by devo on Feb 14, 2006 4:48 PM PST up 0 recs

Why not? Life's a beach!

"Keep the juices going by jangling around gently as you move." - Satchel Paige

by McFood on Feb 14, 2006 4:50 PM PST up 0 recs

Sell it...

to the jury of the LAAA debacle! O.o

Billy Beane: "....it's way cooler to be an a's fan". Larry Kreuger: "....but i like our old decripity eroding worse tomorrow then they are today team"

by ST on Feb 14, 2006 4:53 PM PST up 0 recs

Too far for some of us...

I've gotta say that as a North Bay, and now SF based fan, that Fremont is getting real close to the outer limits of how far I could travel to realistically attend games.

The 880 corridor can be a nightmare, and having to leave 2 hours+ before gametimes is extremely prohibitive if you work anywhere outside the east bay or san jose.

Even the extra BART time would cause problems for someone like me who will really have to hustle to make 7:05 start times from the SF financial district.

Obviously Fremont is a heck of a lot closer than Vegas or Sacramento. I'd just love for the new park to be in downtown Oakland...

Plus, Fremont A's just doesn't have the right ring to it.

by booya on Feb 14, 2006 4:49 PM PST 0 recs

It would still be

the Oakland A's.

"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Martin Luther King

by sf drift king on Feb 14, 2006 6:55 PM PST up 0 recs

I'd like to believe

that it wouldn't. If Oakland doesn't want to build a ballpark, they don't have rights to the name. But Fremont Athletics would have the rest of the nation going... "what... in... the... world?!"

I'm also assuming Athletics won't change. Considering that's been a name since the late 19th century, I don't think it will, but hell, it might.

Damn! Street is so imposing, he even causes the earth itself to freeze in fear! - monkeyball

by Jjjsixsix on Feb 14, 2006 8:35 PM PST up 0 recs

Maybe a good solution

would be the "East Bay Athletics of Fremont"? Or just build a stadium for the Raiders there and call them the Bay Area Raiders of Fremont, or BARF.

by Nico on Feb 14, 2006 9:26 PM PST up 0 recs

Golden State Athletics

FTW

by hunter on Feb 15, 2006 5:14 PM PST up 0 recs

remember though...

the LA Lakers used to play in Inglewood, CA.

Billy Beane: "....it's way cooler to be an a's fan". Larry Kreuger: "....but i like our old decripity eroding worse tomorrow then they are today team"

by ST on Feb 15, 2006 10:18 AM PST up 0 recs

Lakers

And remember, the Lakers also used to be where the name came from--the Land of 10,000 lakes, Minnesota! I watched Elgin Baylor play his first pro game in Minneapolis as a member of the--Minneapolis Lakers!

by racodd on Feb 15, 2006 4:09 PM PST up 0 recs

In Vancouver right now...

..there's talk of new Vancouver Canadians ownership building a new stadium downtown with a roof some time in the next handful of years.

It's only talk, might never happen, but the person who first talked to me about the possibility was the current owner of the team, and if it did happen, it would seem to indicate the team is looking for a move back to AAA ball (they don't qualify for the Midwest, California or Texas leagues, so there's no other option but short season or AAA ball).

And if that happened, where does Sacramento end up?

The plot thickens...

by Ozzz on Feb 14, 2006 10:56 PM PST 0 recs

The site is under discussion

Two sites are being considered: Pacific Commons and Warm Springs, the area just north of NUMMI. Both have challenges.

Pacific Commons doesn't have BART access, but there's plenty of room to build an entire ballpark village. Zoning changes would have to be made, of course. The retail part is already in place. If/when BART goes down to the Warm Springs area, there are no plans to extend it across 880, and I don't think that would be considered. Some sort of shuttle would be required, either a bus or people mover.

Warm Springs has obstacles regarding what can be constructed on it by law and by agreement with NUMMI. NUMMI has been on record in the past as being against residential development nearby because new residents could levy complaints against the plant, which runs 24/7. NUMMI may also want to put some kind of warehousing facility on that site, though that is probably unlikely due to cost. A BART station is planned right next to where the ballpark would be located.

I posted a writeup with pictures a few months ago of both sites. Here it is.

by vertig0 on Feb 14, 2006 11:38 PM PST 0 recs

wow..

excellent pictures vertigo. are you somehow per chance involved in the fremont city council assessment process or was this a personal undertaking?

I'm not in favor of the Warm Springs site, as it seems too small. Although, admittedly the site seems good because of the BART extension going through. Pacific Commons seems really the ticket if the A's do decide on a Fremont move. Even before the development of the retail site, I was always curious why there was so much underdeveloped land (a rare commodity in the Bay Area). Seems Fremont is really now expanding and serious about it's uniqueness in the Bay Area (maybe similar to Anaheim vs. LA).

My real concern with Pacific Commons is the aesthetic peice of it: the surrounding wetlands behind is not as attractive as say a harbor / bay. But I'm sure that would be addressed seperately.

Billy Beane: "....it's way cooler to be an a's fan". Larry Kreuger: "....but i like our old decripity eroding worse tomorrow then they are today team"

by ST on Feb 15, 2006 10:29 AM PST up 0 recs

not quite

I run the new ballpark blog and I'm on the Fremont's stadium task force, but don't take that to mean I have any inside info. All will be made clear in due time.

The landscape in the area is going to change dramatically over the next couple of decades as the salt ponds are reclaimed and converted back to wetlands. Regardless of where in the Bay Area the ballpark is situated, debating over the aesthetic appeal of the site is an issue I'll take anyday over the uncertainty that exists now.

by vertig0 on Feb 15, 2006 10:10 PM PST up 0 recs

How far is that station from pacific commons?

In particular the closest point of the red part of the map. It is hard to tell what the scale is, but a pedestrian walk way from warm springs to pacific commons as close to as the crow flies as possible might not be too far. If property owners would give easements tothe city for it, it would help both the stadium and any retail or other commercial development there.

It is probably too far. But, thought I would ask because even the current coliseums pedestrian walkway really is not that short of a walk.

by Donner on Feb 15, 2006 11:15 AM PST up 0 recs

It's over a mile ...

from the station to the nearest point at Pacific Commons ... for comparison, it is just under a mile from BART to SBC ...

Check out some awesome music ...

by devo on Feb 15, 2006 4:15 PM PST up 0 recs

Longtime Fremont Native

There are two things about Fremont that make it very attractive for the A's:

The city has been looking for something for a very long time to make it appear larger and more metropolitan. The Hub, a region smack dab in the middle of the city that was supposed to be the heart of the commercial district, has been a dismal failure. Its quasi-revamp in the past few years hasn't done much to help, although there are admittedly a few more stores in the area. The city is very, very receptive to the type of plan that Wolff has been talking about - using its zoning rights to help create a stadium that would be the heart of a new commercial district. This would help them create what they've pined after for years: a thriving commercial center reflective of the city's true population, wealth, and status.
Fremont has miles and miles of unused land in the "outskirts" of the city. If I recall correctly, something like 1/3 of the actual city limits is still undeveloped (or available for a very cheap price).

by Inquisitor on Feb 15, 2006 5:10 AM PST 0 recs

"outskirts" of Fremont

That unused land is mostly the hills between Mission Blvd. and Sunol. We can't build on that, it would violate the city plan and a bunch of enviromental regs.

"Damn kids" -Ron Flores

by secret ASian man on Feb 15, 2006 11:12 AM PST up 0 recs

Mission Peak Stadium...

hmmmm.... now, that would be cool. Windy, but the most unique baseball stadium in the nation.

by FoolshGame22 on Feb 15, 2006 5:18 PM PST up 0 recs

Hey, when did you come back?

"Do you ever get down on your knees and thank God you know me and have access to my dementia?" - George Costanza

by Captain on Feb 16, 2006 2:00 PM PST up 0 recs

Mission Peal Stadium...

nothing says welcome to baseball like the sound of cows mooing like crazy in the background.

by suprjo on Feb 16, 2006 11:26 PM PST up 0 recs

The Fremont sites are no man's land

If the idea is that both the Oakland area and Silly Valley would embrace a team in Pacific Commons or Warm Springs as their team... I don't think that's gonna work. I think you'd end up with a situation where Oakland and northern East Bay fans think the team has left them, but San Jose residents don't think the team is theirs.

Even for A's fans in Walnut Creek, for example, instead of a doable commute to the Coliseum, they would have a drive to south Fremont that would be an absolute nightmare in bad traffic. It would be much easier for them to get to BALCO Ballpark in S.F.

The Giants would be happy if the A's moved to south Fremont -- just like the Yankees would be happy if the Mets moved to central New Jersey, or like the Cubs would be happy if the White Sox moved to DeKalb.

by socal on Feb 16, 2006 11:59 AM PST 0 recs