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Confidence in Fremont
The Argus's Chris De Benedetti reports that Fremont City Manager Fred Diaz is exuding confidence regarding the city's chances of luring Fremont. "I think we are the lead candidate for the new home of the A's,'' Diaz added. "If there's a deal to make for both the A's and the City of Fremont, then we'll find it and make that happen.''
Though little news has emerged in the last week, the article appears to further confirm Fremont's now frontrunner status. Lew Wolff even has a few words for naysayers who dislike the current lack of transportation options at the Pacific Commons site:"Everybody is looking for the negative here,'' he said. "There are lots of issues, and we'll deal with all of them. I don't have all the answers this minute.''
There will have to be three or four distinct mass transit solutions.- Shuttle from the existing Fremont BART station
- Shuttle from the planned Warm Springs BART station (if it's built)
- ACE/Amtrak to the planned Pacific Commons station
- Bus/shuttle from Santa Clara County
Wolff also reaffirmed the notion that he's not looking for a public subsidy.
5 comments:
Mr. Diaz appears very confident in Fremont's negotiations with Wolfe. I wonder if an announcement is immenent? That's the link I was having trouble locating. Is a year a reliable estimate for an EIR? How long until they could break ground after the EIR? If what I read is accurate, and based on your forecasts for construction time, then the A's could concievably be playing in a new Fremont park in 2011. Is that realistic?
I suppose there is still much that could change in the next few months, but Fremont's handicap has just shot up based on speculation by local officials. I put them at 55% and ascending. The Oakland option appears to be all but dead. I am curious to see if SJ will present an 11th hour plan? I wonder if we will attract a large young blond female fan base with the Silicon Valley A's? Maybe some opportunistic plastic suregons too. Somebody's gotta fill that office space in the ballpark village.
I continue to be amazed and somewhat irritated by those who either really want or think that the A's will wind up in San Jose.
Maybe it's because the issue is so complicated, but I get the impression that territorial rights continues to be thought as something that can easily be brushed aside. So let me ask you all this: Were it that easy to do, don't you think that the deal would have been done some time ago?
I know I know, Wolff's got to go through all the motions; up to an including a phony groundbreaking ceremony at Pacific Commons .....
......whatever!
And now everyone's just waking up to the fact that Lew Wolff has more than just a few business contacts in San Jose. HELLO, We already knew that when he bought the club.
"There will have to be three or four distinct mass transit solutions...Wolff also reaffirmed the notion that he's not looking for a public subsidy."
So Wolff will be paying for the transit solutions, including operations?
I intend to have a full statement on Fremont once the Fremont website is launched. I should clarify the Fremont Stadium Task Force's role. FSTF is not involved in any negotiations between the A's, Cisco, the City of Fremont, or Alameda County. It supports the work being done to research the possibility, but there isn't enough information publicly available to render a final decision of support, though there is an overall positive "vibe." My job as webmaster is to lay out all of the issues and moderate.
fremont resident - Your question is exactly why the community needs more disclosure - so that all can have an informed opinion on the project as a whole. It's still early on in the process despite the media reports, so it makes sense to wait until a proposal and EIR are made available.
Rob,
I wonder if Wolfe considers a move to Fremont just as good as moving to SJ. Given the current agreements in place, he may even view the move to Fremont preferable option. As far as the Territorial rights issue is concerned, at the end of the day they were created with the stroke of a pen. When they die (and they will die) it will be by another stroke of the pen. A Fremont move is the death knell for the rights anyway. Would anyone seriously believe that they will still be an issue in 15 years if the A's are drawing heavily from the SJ market? They may expire of natural causes.
ML, is a stadium in Fremont a reasonable possibility by 2011? I saw your other post and it seems to imply that the A's may expect a new stadium to be completed between 2011 to 2013.
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