Oakland Admits It Will Miss NFL's Deadline For Detailed Plan To Keep Raiders
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Oakland and Alameda County officials today submitted a letter to the National Football League outlining progress toward developing plans for a new stadium for the Oakland Raiders, but it remains unclear if their efforts will be enough to keep the team in the city.
The letter was submitted in response to a Dec. 4 request by the NFL for more information ahead of an owners meeting next month to consider applications from teams hoping to relocate to a new city, including the Raiders.
In a news conference at City Hall today, Schaaf remained upbeat about the city's prospects and the desire of Raiders owner Mark Davis to remain in Oakland, but she acknowledged that the letter fell short of a detailed financial plan.
"We do not have a formal proposal to submit to the NFL," Schaaf said, repeatedly emphasizing that officials are in the "discussion stage" and have not yet entered formal negotiations with the Raiders.
The letter was broadly similar to a presentation made to the NFL on Nov. 11, in which Schaaf touted Oakland's development potential and strength as a real estate and job market, its transit-rich stadium site and the fact that the city has an approved land development plan and environmental approval already in place.
Schaaf today said the city provided more details about potential new public revenue sources that could be generated by development at the 120-acre Oakland Coliseum complex site. In addition, it notes progress made toward freeing the O.co Coliseum from bond debt that limits redevelopment options and shifting Alameda County's share of the Coliseum site to Oakland, simplifying the site's ownership.
The deal outlined in the letter offers the Raiders a long-term lease on the south 60 acres of the Coliseum site, at least 8,000 surface parking spaces plus development rights to 9 acres around the Coliseum BART station.
The team would own the stadium and rights to game revenues, while the city would retain ownership of the underlying land. Schaaf today said the city would consider giving the team land only in an exchange for something of value.
Schaaf said the city has been up front with the Raiders and the NFL about the complexity of its situation. Not only is the Coliseum complex jointly owned by the city and county and burdened by debt from a previous stadium deal, O.co Coliseum is also the only stadium in the United States shared by professional football and baseball teams.
The city is also currently in talks with the Oakland A's, who have a 10-year lease, about the possible construction of a new ballpark, either at the Coliseum site or at another location, Schaaf said. The Golden State Warriors, who currently play at Oracle Arena on the Coliseum complex, are expected to move to a new arena in San Francisco.
Most importantly, Schaaf said, the city has been clear that while it is willing to underwrite infrastructure development on the site, at an estimated cost of around $90 million, and discuss the use of future potential development revenues, it will not commit existing public funds to a stadium project. This puts the city unusual in an situation where others are offering large public subsidies.
"We will not repeat mistakes of the past," she said.
The Raiders are one of three National Football League teams considering moving to the Los Angeles area next fall.
The San Diego Chargers are considering sharing a new stadium in Carson with the Raiders and the St. Louis Rams are thinking of moving to a new stadium in Inglewood, which is also in the Los Angeles area.
Teams that want to apply to relocate to a new city may do so after Jan. 1 and NFL owners will consider proposals at a special meeting on Jan. 12 and 13. But three-fourths of the owners of the league's 32 teams must approve any team moves.
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