SunCal, a large developer based out of Irvine, was brought into the Coliseum City project this week. Their role isn’t as the project’s master developer, it’s to determine whether the stadium, parking, and ancillary development can all properly fit on the 120-140 acre Coliseum site. Intriguingly, SunCal was brought in by the Raiders and Mark Davis, who have lingering concerns about having enough parking for football games.
SunCal has plenty of experience in the East Bay, having worked previously on Alameda Point before the project drowned in a sea of hubris and red tape. They also resurrected the long dormant Oak Knoll redevelopment plan, which had previously suffered from the depths of the recession.
New City’s Floyd Kephart wanted to make clear that SunCal’s role here is as a consultant:
@baseballoakland @rleutySportsBiz @RAIDERS There is no agreement between SunCal and New City.
— Floyd Kephart (@fkephart) March 26, 2015
Presumably, SunCal’s study, which was not a specific requirement for the ENA, will help guide Davis’s decision making process later this year. Just as important, it will probably guide the NFL’s. The league really likes plans with tons of parking, as seen in both the Inglewood and Carson plans. The hypothetical, then, is what if SunCal comes back with a larger parking requirement than is prescribed in Coliseum City? Of the 13,000 spaces programmed into the project, only 4,200 are surface parking (good for tailgating and buses). Everything else is in a garage, which when Lew Wolff mentioned the difficulty with garages, he got hammered. I wonder what will happen when the Raiders want more surface parking for their stadium.
Sure, there is BART, which according to the Raiders currently serves 30% of fans. You still need, well, 13-15,000 spaces for everyone else. And we have no idea whether SunCal’s study will include a baseball stadium.
SunCal could also find the project attractive enough to become the master developer, which would be a huge positive. Unlike Alameda, where SunCal is persona non grata, they don’t have a poisoned relationship with Oakland. They could be exactly what Coliseum City needs, though it’s clear they are acting in a thoroughly noncommittal role at the moment.
When I first heard the news I was surprised that it hadn’t gotten out at the beginning of the week, as the NFL owners meetings started. Then I saw SunCal’s limited role and it made more sense. If they express more interest in May, then it’s something for Kephart and Oakland to hang their hats on.
newballpark.org 
Dear Mr. Kephart.
I could be way off the mark here, but aren’t we going to have to do something about those parking spaces? We are talking about 4,200 surface parking spaces for tailgating football games? Davis has suggested a stadium of 55 thousand, he may be amicable to say 58 thousand tops (would be smallest in NFL). 30% of fans take BART that’s 17,400 give or take. You would have around 40,600 people driving (parking), and if there are 3 people in each car we would need 13,533 parking spaces. I also realize people will be taking Amtrak, or flying in for games as well as other forms of transportation, but I don’t see how we can do this with anything less the 13 thousand parking spaces. You can only get away with a few parking garages spaces, as the just aren’t going to work when we are talking about such huge crowds leaving around the same time.
Anyone fill free to correct me, as it isn’t great but there is no way this gets done without more surface parking. I trust that because you are in the world of development, you already knew you would have to deal with this.
Sorry:
Anyone fill free to correct me, as “my math” isn’t great (or spelling)
Now San Diego is creating a joint powers authority. I don’t know if that’s good or bad for the Raiders. Hopefully they are more functional.
Get it done Mark, Floyd AND SunCal!!
Just my opinion, but I say once the Warriors leave for SF bring down the arena and replace it with a hotel/retail development, keeping the current parking footprint as is. New Raiders stadium on current Coli site and office/residential/retail at the Home Base parcel/along Hegenberger. With this scenario parking for Raiders remains as it is today. In the future the rest of the 800 acres could include more office and residential.
If the Raiders stay and the Warriors leave, I think demolition of the arena is a foregone conclusion. Not sure that plus Home Base would allow enough ancillary development to make the whole thing pencil out though.
@ Tony D.
I’m with you bro. Raiders stay and Wolff gets his corporate/disposable income-rich $J/$V dream. Just Win Baby! Let’s do it.
Works for me.
@ Djhip., I totally agree. If Oakland gets into a situation where they have to choose to keep just one of its teams, it has to be the Raiders. The Raiders, more than any other of Oakland’s major sports teams, identifies itself with the City of Oakland. Conversely, Oakland’s blue collar image identifies much more closely to the Raider team identity. This scenario, should also force MLB’s hand to approve the A’s move to San Jose. Then it will be a win-win for fans of both the Raiders and A’s, since both teams will be able to remain both profitable and viable in their current Bay Area market.
Raiders identify themselves with Oakland, really? Is that the same franchise that bolted for LA for 13 seasons, 1982-1994???
I completely see the connection. The Raiders and Oakland are two of the worst run organizations in their respective fields over the past 15 years. They both see their incompetence in the other.
Let’s marry the two together. What could possibly go wrong.
ilpec: You’re presuming the Giants will be accommodating to the A’s moving to San Jose or that MLB will be willing to tell the Giants to stuff it. We’ve seen no indication of any of that. I’ll bet we’re more likely to see the Giants commission a study of “viable MLB markets that don’t currently have teams and are not in any team’s current territory.” Or, the Giants will tell the A’s to build in Dublin or some other place in Alameda or Contra Costa counties where there’s no way a ballpark ever gets built.
@pjk
Don’t you think it’s implied, when IIpec makes the comment he is presuming the whole mess with the SF Giants would be resolved? The guy has been around here like most of us (regular commenters), for a long time. BTW I think that’s something most of us (that care about the A’s and Raiders), can agree on.
That being if the Raiders work something out in Oakland (and there wasn’t enough room for both), that would somehow (presumably), help to open up San Jose. That way both teams could remain in the Bay Area.
How could we forget: the whole MLB world revolves around the Giants and their wants. Silly us! (Sarcasm of course)
The longer the oakland groups, politicians and fan club leaders, perpetuate the notion that they can keep all 3 teams the more at risk they become to even keep one. NFL and MLB recognize that only 1 team will stay- http://t.co/rhDWmXBq6E
We’re still seeing recent headlines – from March 2015 – about Oakland trying to keep all three teams, even though the Warriors are most definitely gone. It’s the same old dog and pony show – commission studies, enlist developers (who never make any commitment), etc. Never an acknowledgement that at least one, and probably two teams, are leaving.
@pjk, If the Giants are allowed to dictate their unfair greedy ways on terms and conditions that blatantly go against the better interests of MLB, then MLB deserves to have their ATE challenged at the SCOTUS. As a result, one has to place the ultimate blame for perpetuating this unprecedented, unfair, and unequal territorial division of MLB’s Bay Area market squarely on the MLB Commissioner’s Office. The MLB Commissioner’s Office was established many years ago to preserve the integrity of the game, both on and off the field. It appears that in this case, the MLB Commissioner’s Office has failed to do its job.
illpec: I see what you’re saying. But indeed, MLB HAS allowed the Giants to dictate how this goes, for several years now. MLB is in court now trying to protect its anti-trust exemption, which is at risk because of just one team – the Giants. We watched Selig do nothing to solve the A’s issue and this new commissioner has looked pretty much the same. Selig could have taken on the Giants but was too much of a coward to do so.
C’mon pjk, Manfred has only been the commissioner now for a couple of months. Give him time! I’d add he did talk to former SJ mayor Reed in NYC way after folks falsely claimed SJ was dead. Manfred/MLB won’t move mountains, take on the Giants until SJ offers them more than “You buy the land, you pay for the ballpark! ” Stay tuned…and GO RAIDERS!
What you’re proposing would mean that MLB would be using their ATE as a way to strong arm SJ into providing more public funds for a baseball stadium. Somehow I don’t see that playing very well given the current SCOTUS possibility.
This would be like a someone on trial for murder threatening the jury if they didn’t rule in his/her favor. Probably not a smart move.
Interesting, there may only be enough room at the CC site for ancillary development, a new football stadium and surface parking. The surface parking is definitely needed for such things as tailgating. Mark Davis has stated that having enough room for traditional Raider Style Tailgating is important.
I am not so sure there is enough room for ancillary development, surface parking, new ballpark, new stadium and the Oracle Arena to make it work economically. I also agree that OA will most likely be torn down at some point to make room for more surface parking or ancillary development. The OA cannot compete with a brand new arena in SF for events.
With a possible lack of economic space for all possible venues at CC, this may reinforce the argument of Oakland only being able to pick one team. Oakland should pick the Raiders. Between the A’s and Raiders, I think the Raiders would work best economically for Oakland.The Raiders would be the North Bay team and the 49ers being the South Bay team. If Oakland made this decision it could very likely open up San Jose for the A’s. As I and others have stated before it could very likely be Giants/Raiders in the North Bay and A’s/49ers in the South Bay. I think this possible new baseball/football regional alignment for the Bay Area would work.
Raiders will make a deal with Oakland and A’s will go to SJ. Simple. It’s already in the works you slackers. Wow. Duh!
It’s already done. Don’t ask ?’s. It is what it is.
You guys are slow. No offense, but wow. SJ A’s in 3 years.
It’s already done you friggin schmucks. Oakland Raiders for at least 25 more years. Yep. It’s already in the books latecomers. Let’s go Oakland Raiders! Guh bye Wolff. It’s been, um, er, um. Well, good tidings to you and yours. I think?
@dj
You are making me long for the return of Nav, lol….
btw, anyone can make broad, sweeping statements on teh interwebs, but without anything but your trollish bravado and name calling, it’s just more of the same – unfounded possibly right, possible wrong, speculation…
@ plrraz
Sarcasm bud.
This whole thing is a cluster ^^^k.
Just having fun. No offense meant toward anyone.
When you’re not having fun, have fun.
No trolling was intended.
ah, gotcha…
I think we all just want this whole thing to come to a resolution.
I remember livestreaming the press conference where Wolff announced the plans for a Fremont ballpark, and I was thinking FINALLY!!!
Its what TEN years later?
That was right after the 2006 season. Selig came out for the press conference. It all went nowhere.
Exactly.
Good things come to those who wait…
😉
What is Davis up to? the Raiders – possibly relocating to St. Louis? crazy. Davis has $500 mil. to invest in a Coliseum redo – that’s all the Raiders need (they would have the whole north bay to themselves also). He would also consider moving to St. Louis (and that bad fanbase)? There’s a reason Kroneke wants to get the eff out of there. The Raiders have already goofed by moving to LA – moving to St Louis would be even a bigger blunder.
SunCal? This is all smoke and mirrors, Oakland knows the Raiders are stuck like the A’s. They want both teams to rot together in the same place as usual.
Why would Oakland have any interest in helping either team when they know full well both are stuck?
The Raiders have no leverage using Carson, the NFL will side with Kroenke as he has deeper pockets, a development piece, and a domed stadium in an area ready to move now.
Also the Chargers have to be protected over the Raiders since they lose far more with the Rams coming to LA from a revenue standpoint. The Chargers will be the 2nd team in Inglewood because of this.
The Raiders only leverage was Levi’s when it was about to be built but Davis didn’t think it would happen……poof! There went his leverage. He won’t even threaten to move there now, invest some money in co-branding the stadium and 2nd locker room to make Oakland move…..What a moron.
Oakland knows it, Raiders and A’s are stuck together, they know the Warriors are gone so lets just play charades and have some fun.
Both teams will be at the Coli in 2020 for sure, 2025 perhaps, 2030 if the Coli doesn’t fall apart by then
Does anyone really believe any genuine progress is going to be made leading to a new ballpark?