Alameda’s Planning Board has unanimously voted to approve Oakland Roots and Soul’s proposal for a temporary stadium at its training facility on Bay Farm Island for up to a five-year term. This comes after Alameda’s City Council passed its plans as they pertained to the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan on November 4.
During both meetings, Alameda City Planner Brian McGuire announced Oakland Roots would undergo a one-year review to determine what changes and revisions are needed.
The proposal’s draft resolution calls for Oakland Roots and Soul to host up to 27 professional soccer matches annually with an 8,000 capacity, along with “several small sporting events.” Roots and Soul also announced they would host seven matches with up to 3,000 attendees, while the draft resolution states there would be a cap of 6,000 patrons for weekday events.
With the USL Championship 2027 season approaching in March, the clock is ticking on getting the stadium ready for the start. The club provided an update on its construction timeline, writing that work would begin as early as this month. Their timeline is as follows:
- November 2026 to January 2027: Site preparation, to include demolition as needed of limited
areas of existing paving, minor grading, and installation of electrical infrastructure in shallow
trenches. - January 2027 to March 2027: Installation of vertical elements, including light poles and limited
foundation work as needed, as well as installation of modular grandstands, fencing, and pavement
touchups.
During the Monday meeting, Roots and Soul president Lindsay Barenz announced they explored every possible location to host their matches and that their training facility on Bay Farm Island is their last hope.
“We have explored every patch of grass and every underutilized parking lot in the entire East Bay to find a home base for our games. It has not been easy; it has been a very rocky road. We have had a nomadic existence, playing at multiple venues over the years. We want to be in the East Bay. We know the East Bay has been the home of legendary teams that have left, but we want to stay. Our vision for our game day facility is that it is accessible for as many members of our community as possible, that we can field both Roots and Soul there, and that we can play for 3-5 years and create the stable foundation we need to be able to build a permanent home,” Barenz said.
On November 4, Barenz mentioned that they plan to host youth sporting events. In Monday’s meeting, Barenz indicated they already hosted Alameda Soccer Club’s U8 championships the previous weekend.
“Installing modular stands at our training facility gives us the opportunity to bring our family-oriented, community-focused fans to Alameda to support more Alameda vendors. With extra field lighting, we can host more youth and community groups on our fields,” Barenz said.
It’s important to note that Roots and Soul are still pursuing their permanent stadium in Howard Terminal. Port of Oakland Chief Public Engagement Officer, Matt Davis, also said on November 4 that they remain in collaboration with the organization toward creating its long-term home.
“We hope to continue our discussion with the Roots on a permanent home in a few years. Obviously, there’s a lot of excitement about that as well,” Davis said.
Traffic coming to and from the island has been a pressing topic for Bay Farm Island residents. During November 9’s meeting, Roots and Soul projected that 76 percent of traffic will arrive through 98th and Hegenberger avenues, while 23 percent would come over the Bay Farm Island bridge.
Per the club’s data research, the project would generate about 1,490 vehicle trips within one hour of game start time on a Wednesday evening and around 2,490 vehicle trips one hour after game end time on a Saturday under worst-case conditions for a maximum capacity event. This represents an approximately 19 percent and 31 percent increase in average daily traffic volumes at the intersection of Ron Cowan Parkway and Harbor Bay Parkway.
To quell traffic from traveling through Bay Farm Island, Roots and Soul intend to have traffic control blocking cars from entering Maitland Drive and the Harbor Bay Parkway west of Loop Road.
On the topic of parking, it was indicated during the meeting that Roots and Soul can commit to a minimum of 1,500 parking spots within the Harbor Bay Business Park, and are in discussion to add more. The club also plans to have 500 additional parking spots at the Coliseum BART Station. Any event with over 3,000 attendees will require a shuttle service.
During their August 24 special meeting with the City of Alameda, Roots and Soul mentioned there are a total of 4,000 parking spaces within the business park. McGuire mentioned in Monday’s meeting that there could be some curbside parking availability as well.
There will also be discussion about an express bus route to the stadium from points in Alameda. Administrator Hanson Hom declared wanting to promote more shuttle usage throughout the island, so Roots fans can activate Alameda’s restaurants, bars, and businesses.
As you would expect with a small community like Bay Farm Island, noise control was a primary hurdle for Roots and Soul to gain clearance. Per Roots and Soul’s report, noise from the Harbor Bay Parkway facility would not result in hourly levels that exceed Alameda’s standards.
The loudest of Roots and Soul’s projections is its loudspeaker hitting a decibel level of 110 at 3.3 feet from the speaker face. With games limited to 10:00 p.m., the organization writes that their project would not exceed Alameda’s noise standards for residential or commercial properties.
Roots and Soul ruled out 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.
“With the future of the Coliseum uncertain, and its prohibitive operating cost, there is no other suitable venue for us to play our games in 2027 outside of our training facility here in Alameda,” Barenz said on November 4.