Opposition is mobilizing due to concern of an effort to fast-track the ballpark's permitting processBjarke Ingels Group
The A’s are "getting hit on two fronts by organized opposition to their proposed waterfront ballpark at Howard Terminal," according to Phil Matier of the S.F. CHRONICLE. The "politically powerful" Save the Bay organization is "raising questions about the environmental impacts" of the A’s proposal, and the bar pilots association, whose members steer container ships into the Port of Oakland, say they will be "blinded by the ballpark’s lights and might run over kayakers hoping to collect home run balls." Then there are the port’s tenants, who are "complaining about the impact on traffic." The opposition appears to be "mobilizing because of a concern that there is a behind-the-scenes effort to get state lawmakers to pass legislation to fast-track the permitting process" for the ballpark. A’s President Dave Kaval said that there were "no plans to ask Sacramento to shortcut the process -- if anything the team is pushing to include 'environmental justice' issues." As for the questions about traffic, lights and blinding the bar pilots, Kaval said the team was looking at "everything from the traffic to the ballpark’s lights to make sure the stadium is designed and built to take into consideration all of the stakeholders’ uses" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/17).
