:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/72198551/1465667802.0.jpg "Oakland A's Las Vegas relocation: Team to purchase land for .5 billion baseball stadium development")
The Oakland Athletics are moving a step closer to relocating to Las Vegas. Team president Dave Kaval confirmed with Las Vegas media that they have agreed in principle to purchase 49 acres of land near the Las Vegas Strip to build a new stadium.
The team is planning to build a retractable-roof stadium that could seat up to 35,000 fans. It is being described as a $1 billion stadium, but the stadium plus additional development could reach $1.5 billion, per the . The team and relevant officials are closing in on a binding agreement that would supposedly not include “new taxes”, although the semantics could vary on that.
The is reporting the A's would cover the costs of the stadium itself and there would be a “funding mechanism” that includes a “special taxation district covering the stadium site, which would allow for sales tax proceeds to be reinvested in the area, along with an allocation of transferable tax credits estimated to be worth around $500 million.” The county would still need to sign off on the deal.
The stadium would sit near Tropicana Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, which is across I-15 from the strip. It would sit approximately a mile west of the T-Mobile Center where the Vegas Golden Knights play, and a mile north of Allegiant Stadium where the Las Vegas Raiders play.
The A's are hoping to open the new stadium to start the 2027 season, with shovels in the ground as early as 2024. The team's lease at the Oakland Coliseum expires after the 2024 season, so it is unclear where they will play in 2025 and 2026. They could play at Las Vegas Ballpark in the Summerlin neighborhood, which is home to the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators. Kaval said the team has an agreement to keep the Aviators at that ballpark even with the A's moving to town.