WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was an end of an era in Oakland, and a bittersweet day as the A’s played their final home game in the Oakland Coliseum.
As fans processed the pain of the team moving, all eyes are turning to what comes next in West Sacramento.
West Sacramento Mayor Martha Guerrero said they can not release much information since there are a lot of moving parts. However, the race is on to be ready for when the A’s play their first home game at Sutter Health Park on March 31.
“A lot of us just dropped what we were doing to focus on the A's arrival, making sure we get everybody in place,” Guerrero said.
Construction is underway to give the minor league park some major upgrades. Those include upgraded clubs and a 15-foot TV and temperature-controlled lounge with premier seating at the legacy club.
The land around the stadium parking lot will also be filled in.
Mayor Guerrero said the A’s temporarily coming has accelerated their plans to build out the bridge district and also in the city.
The city is expanding with a 300-unit office and apartment building and a hotel next to the CalSTRS building.
After 57 seasons in Oakland, the A’s will temporarily move to West Sacramento with plans to eventually move to Las Vegas.
“We have been getting a lot more excitement from other chambers who are interested in partnering with us, because they see that this is a regional opportunity to welcome the A's and the fans who are going be coming in,” Guerrero said.
The mayor said she has been hosting a business roundtable to gather feedback from businesses and said many plans around transportation and public safety are being worked on.
“We know that without those opportunities, federal funding opportunities kind of slows things down on our end,” Guerrero said. “I know that is a lot of work, but it is a lot of work that we are all excited to do.”
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