After the city ceased negotiations with the Athletics in 2023, following the team’s announcement of a Las Vegas ballpark, the port put out a request for new “active economic development” proposals for the land.
Over the last year, it’s whittled down potential partners from nearly a dozen to the remaining two. The site would be split into two connected projects: a larger industrial development led by Industrial Realty Group, and a smaller stadium for the Roots and Soul.
The club has been looking to build a permanent stadium since its founding in 2018. The Roots, a men’s team in the USL Championship league, played at Laney College and Cal State East Bay before moving into the Oakland Coliseum on a short-term basis in 2025.
The Soul, a women’s team that plans to join the USL Super League, has played three seasons at Merritt College.
The club had previously entered negotiations with the city to build a temporary modular stadium at the Coliseum’s adjacent Malibu parking lot, but it tabled those plans last January.
The Oakland Roots defender Ilya Alekseev (88) battles San Antonio FC defender Mitchell Taintor for the ball at the Oakland Coliseum Saturday, March 22, 2025 in Oakland, Calif.. This was the first Roots game played in the storied stadium. (David M. Barreda/KQED)
In December 2024, the Roots announced that they would propose a two-phase plan for the Howard Terminal land: first building a modular stadium that could fit 15,000 fans on a shorter timeline, similar to its proposal for the Malibu lot, followed by a more “substantial structure” with a larger capacity.
Details on Industrial Realty Group’s plans for the space aren’t known, but whatever development it pursues won’t be allowed to include housing or other uses that could affect the maritime activities in the Oakland seaport.
The port doesn’t yet have a timeline for putting the recommendation before its board, and entering into the negotiations doesn’t guarantee that the development will come to fruition.