The clock is ticking for Oakland Roots to have its temporary stadium at its training facility on Harbor Bay Parkway ready for 2027. The City of Alameda posted they will consider adoption of a resolution by a two-thirds vote during a November 4 City Council meeting regarding the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport.
Multiple sources also confirmed to RootsBlog that Alameda will take formal action on Roots and Soul’s permit application on November 9. The meeting has yet to be posted officially online.
Wednesday, November 4’s meeting will determine whether the club’s proposal is consistent with the area’s land use compatibility plan for the County of Alameda Airport Land Use Commission.
The City of Alameda announced that the ALUC initially rejected the proposed plan on September 16 because it sought more information. Per the agenda item, the city writes that its staff believes concerns have been “adequately addressed via project design, robust conditions of approval, and ongoing coordination.”
Alameda’s document reads that Roots and Soul’s project was cleared by the Federal Aviation Administration and deemed to pose no airport hazards. Moreover, Exhibit 2 of November 4’s meeting shows the location on Harbor Bay Parkway is in a Zone 6 Traffic Pattern Zone. The resolution document reads that the Oakland Coliseum and PayPal Park, which house the San Jose Earthquakes and Bay FC, are also subject to the same conditional compatibility requirement.
The agenda item also points out that PayPal Park’s 18,000-seat stadium is “several hundred feet closer” to the San Jose Mineta International Airport’s primary runway. Roots’ temporary stadium is closest to North Field Runway 28R, which is not Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport’s primary runway.
Roots staff also addressed the ALUC’s operational concerns regarding lighting and glare from the field lights and scoreboard, their waste management plan to prevent attracting birds, and questions about ongoing monitoring and coordination.
Alameda’s resolution also points out that Roots and Soul presented information that they have “no other suitable, available site” outside of the Airport Influence Area.
Roots and Soul originally wrote in an August 24 meeting that they eyed construction starting in early October, so they are ready for the March 2027 start of next season. In a Request for Compatibility Determination document signed by the club’s Chief Real Estate Officer, Lydia Tan, they are calling for City Council action so their project “remains on track for the 2027 season.”
The agenda item addresses the organization’s time sensitivity, saying City Council is required because of difficulty obtaining a quorum around the ALUC’s infrequent schedule, while there is remaining uncertainty surrounding the commission’s receptiveness to the project.
Roots and Soul write in their request that they received FAA clearance for their proposed field lights on September 15, while the FAA also cleared their proposed construction cranes on October 1. Roots and Soul sent its Request for Compatibility Determination on October 12, and they have been waiting for action ever since.
Oakland Roots are proposing to host 20 to 24 soccer matches annually, Soul SC to host five to seven games at 3,000 capacity, and three to five “other sports events” with a capacity between 500 and 2,500. With maximum attendance, Roots and Soul estimate an annual attendance of up to 235,000 patrons, the club wrote in a document for an August 24 special meeting with the City of Alameda.
Roots and Soul considered playing at seven other locations, including Kezar Stadium in San Francisco, the College of Alameda, Merritt College, Edwards Field in Berkeley, Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Laney College, and continuing at the Coliseum. However, each was deemed unviable.
During the special meeting, Roots detailed their plans for lighting fixtures, modular grandstands, concessions, ADA surfaces, restrooms, traffic control, vehicle parking, and noise.
Back in August, the organization proposed that the period from October through December would focus on site preparation, demolition of limited areas, minor grading, and installation of electrical infrastructure in shallow trenches.
The club would install new light poles and do limited foundation work from December to February 2027, while they would put up their modular grandstands and other final touches from February to March.
After originally requesting to start in early October, it’s now looking like mid-November could be the new target. We’ll provide more on Oakland Roots and Soul’s stadium developments as the news becomes available.