The Raiders' latest stadium initiative "remains in the preliminary stages," as no "formal proposals have been made," according to Scott Bair of CSNBAYAREA.com. AECOM is conducting a feasibility study for a possible Oakland stadium, and Senior VP Dave Stone "cautioned against taking too much stock" from a Monday exploratory meeting of the Oakland-Alameda BOD that controls O.co Coliseum. The meeting generated discussion that the Raiders are "looking for a new 50,000-seat stadium that would cost" $800M and "require public funding to complete." But Stone said that those numbers are "not concrete and are merely estimates." The discussion regarding a new stadium is "in the academic stage, with better information due in the fall." The exact size and cost "remains in question." A 50,000-seat attendance figure in the initial proposal "struck a chord locally because it would make the Raiders' facility the NFL’s smallest venue." Stone: "In terms of having 50,000 seats, that’s very preliminary. In no way is it written in stone. … It’s a rough, round-number estimate" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 7/16). In S.F., Vic Tafur cites NFL and city of Oakland sources as saying that the 50,000-seat, $800M numbers were "premature and inaccurate." No Raiders team official was "present at the meeting" on Monday (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/17).
