Oakland Roots and Soul announced its official proposal to build a permanent stadium in Howard Terminal on Thursday, confirming the club’s initial expression of interest in the site back in October.
Roots and Soul president Lindsay Barenz and chief real estate officer Lydia Tan appeared on Brodie Brazil‘s podcast to discuss their recent proposal and other topics including the standing of their Malibu Lot plans and training facility.
The organization’s proposal at Howard Terminal would be approached in two phases, including a temporary 15,000 seat starter home before building a prospective 25,000 capacity stadium along Oakland’s waterfront.
“Our proposal is actually a two stage proposal. Our Phase One proposal would be a modular stadium, very similar to the Malibu site, but a bigger 15,000 capacity stadium, which we think is right size for us right now as a team. But as we grow, the renderings for Phase Two are a 25,000 capacity stadium. That’s the goal,” Tan said.
Howard Terminal has its own hang-ups, like how Schnitzer Steel filed multiple lawsuits to block the Athletics’ baseball stadium. President of Pacific Merchant Shipping Association Mike Jacob also expressed they will “encourage” the Port of Oakland to pick a proposal that maintains “industrial use of the site.”
But according to Tan, Roots and Soul have already done legwork in addressing concerns related to the A’s previous proposal.
“There are some logistical issues with the site, which are known to anybody who’s following the Howard Terminal saga. We have put in a proposal that tries to address a lot of those issues. We’ve had some very positive, productive conversations with a lot of stakeholders who had concerns about the Howard Terminal proposal that the A’s put forward. And so I think there’s a path here, but it will take a lot of work with all of us if this goes forward to make sure, logistically, that it works for everybody,” she said.
The topic when it comes to stadiums being built in Oakland is the amount of public dollars going towards the effort while Roots and Soul have long maintained they would privately finance their future home.
Barenz reiterated they would “largely” fund their own way and some infrastructure at Howard Terminal would be eligible for public funds.
“We plan to principally pay for the stadium, through private sources of equity. There are some infrastructural things that may be eligible for public funding at the site, but largely it would be privately,” Barenz said.
It’s worth pointing out the City of Oakland already secured $425 million in public money toward infrastructure costs prior to the A’s shutting the door on Howard Terminal.
Tan mentioned other projects are already in the works, which would play to benefit Roots and Soul.
“The city has done a great job of tapping into State and federal funds. A lot of those projects are going to benefit all of downtown and and the waterfront, whether or not there’s a stadium, and a lot of those projects are underway as well. and absolutely opens the door for us to be able to succeed,” Tan said.
Despite the momentum Roots and Soul are making, filling a 25,000 seat stadium has been met with some skepticism from commenters online. The highest USL Championship average attendance in 2024 was Sacramento Republic at a tick above 10,000, meanwhile the league’s best team–Louisville City–fits 15,000, the current capacity for Roots at the Coliseum and their prospective temporary stadium.
Although a 25,000 seat stadium seems farfetched to those outside of Roots’ circles, the organization is confident the figure can be a realistic goal if they can fill the Coliseum.
“That’s exactly right, because where the fans go, money and politics and permits will all follow. But it’s really all about the fans making it clear that there is demand for pro sports in Oakland and the East Bay,” Barenz said.
“It is absolutely within the within our grasp, to build a permanent Stadium in Oakland, whether that’s at Howard terminal or the Coliseum or another site. We’ve got to make sure that we’re successful in the near term.”
With that, staying at the Coliseum past 2025 to figure out its reach seems like the most logical outcome for Roots and Soul. It’s been no secret that the organization could look to extend its lease at the Coliseum, pending how things go with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s official plans for the site. Barenz reiterated they would “ideally” stay at the Coliseum
“Ideally, we would be able to stay at the Coliseum, but we are in a situation where we need to keep our options open,” Barenz said.
Tan closed with an update of the club’s training facility at Harbor Bay Parkway in Alameda following Prologis dropping out of its $24 million deal to purchase the land and lease back to Roots and Soul. The organization has been unanimously approved to replace Prologis as the primary buyer.
Roots and Soul becoming the primary buyer also entails finding a partner to help fund the multi-million purchase. As Tan explains, they’ve already had “a lot of conversations” with potential partners.
“We’re having having a lot of conversations that I’m really, really encouraged about,” Tan said.
We’ll provide more coverage on Roots and Soul’s search for a permanent stadium, temporary stadium, and purchase of its training facility.