UPDATE: Here’s an excerpt from a Lowe’s Senior VP Gary Wyatt to Lew Wolff:

“Lowe’s HIW, Inc. is greatly concerned about this project because it will have a detrimental effect on our customers and ultimately our business as a result of both traffic and parking complications.” 

“…In this instance, we have significant concerns with the impact of this proposed project on our community and its citizens.”

We still don’t know whether a major tenant like Lowe’s has some clause in its lease that could enable it to complicate the ballpark village plan. I wonder if Lew Wolff anticipated that getting opposition from big business.

Here’s a story that will run tomorrow:

http://www.mercurynews.com/breakingnews/ci_10059133?nclick_check=1

UPDATE:  Lew Wolff is backtracking. He told the Mercury News that he’s just frustrated with the pace of the environmental study, and that he’s still confident the team is coming to Fremont.  His son, Keith, told me that nothing has changed, but he did acknowledge that three of the larger retailers at Pacific Commons have sent letters expressing concerns about the team’s parking plans.

He said the retailers couldn’t block the project, but that the team is intent on satisfying them. One possible mitigation measure could be a pedestrian bridge over Auto Mall Parkway linking the stadium to one of the bigger parking lots.

ProLogis owns Pacific Commons and the adjacent future ballpark site. Cisco has an option to buy the ballpark land and the A’s are looking to step in and take Cisco’s place. Keith Wolff said that contrary to what Mayor Wasserman said, the team does not have any disagreements with ProLogis.

ProLogis representatives haven’t returned phone calls from me or Merc reporter Lisa Fernandez, so I can’t say for sure if any of the major retailers might have language in their leases that could give them a say over the ballpark project, or if ProLogis itself is concerned with some facet of the A’s proposal. Read the rest of this entry »

Even I saw this one coming. Everyone knows the Chamber of Commerce wants the A’s in Fremont, but the chamber made it official with a vote and good old fashion press release.

The chamber says the team will bring high-end retail to Fremont. It also says the A’s have indicated they will “assume all costs for additional security, traffic and parking management, and shuttle services on game days.”

The chamber continues: “The bottom line is this: what kind of City do we wish to be? A vibrant destination point, attractive to retail and industry alike, able to provide the level of services and activities important to residents, business and travelers? We think so. Our support for this project is an acknowledgement of this belief.”

The A’s traded him and Chad Gaudin to the Cubs today for four players. Hmmn, The A’s sent a pitcher who’s always hurt to a team with a century-old curse. I wonder how this will turn out? Eric Patterson is the most promising player they A’s got in return. The A’s press release follows:

A’s and Cubs Complete Six Player Trade

Harden and Gaudin Sent to Chicago; A’s Acquire Donaldson, Gallagher, Murton and Patterson

OAKLAND, Calif. –The Oakland A’s today traded right-handed pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin to the Chicago Cubs for right-handed pitcher Sean Gallagher, catcher Josh Donaldson, infielder Eric Patterson and outfielder Matt Murton.  The A’s have also recalled left-handed pitcher Dallas Braden from Triple-A Sacramento and transferred Mike Sweeney to the 60-day disabled list. Read the rest of this entry »

County Supervisor Scott Haggerty, who represents much of Fremont, wants to see a monorail constructed from the future Warm Springs BART station to the future home of the Oakland A’s.  Here’s what he told the Chamber of Commerce’s newsletter.

“Now I say that and people say, “This guy must be a dreamer!” But dreamers are the way things get done. Secondly, if Las Vegas can build a monorail system, and if Disneyland can move hundreds of thousands of people on an hourly basis using their monorail and trolley system, it shows you can effectively move people this way.”

I wonder which place he frequents more often: Vegas or Disneyland?

Haggerty said in the short term, he wants dedicated bus lanes from the stadium to BART.

He also said he supports trying to move ahead with Dumbarton Rail.

The council meeting is about to start. I’d rather be watching Celtics-Lakers.

Ever since The Oakland A’s announced its proposed move to Cisco Field, opening day in Fremont has been scheduled for 2011. But A’s Co-Owner Keith Wolff  told Fremont residents Tuesday night that 2012 is more realistic. 

He said nothing in particular is delaying the project, but with the city’s environmental studies expected to go on for another seven or eight months, (which means the all-important traffic study might not be released before the mayoral election) 2011 seems too optimistic. 

Wolff, who is probably second only to Al Gore for the title of most times giving the same powerpoint presentation, spoke to about 45 residents at St. Joseph’s Parish in the Mission San Jose District. 

Other tidbits from the meeting: 

1) The A’s are planning to run 30 shuttle buses from the stadium to the future South Fremont (formerly Warm Springs) BART Station. Wolff said the 1.5 mile ride would take just 5 minutes. No one questioned his estimate. Read the rest of this entry »

Hey baseball fans, were you one of the hundreds of vehicles that were stuck in traffic on Interstate 880 in south Fremont last night coming home from the Red Sox-A’s game? Just a head’s up,  it was a suspected DUI crash that caused all the drama. I’ll have a story on the Web shortly. UPDATE: Here’s the story.

First Gus Morrison runs for mayor, and now another A’s skeptic Vinton Bacon is running for city council in November.

Bacon, a Sierra Club member, has filed forms declaring his intention to be a candidate and has already set up a website: http://bacon2008.com/home.

He says the council needs to do a better job of promoting local businesses, developing a Central Business District near the BART station and coordinating with the school board.

Bacon promises not to accept campaign donations from developers and has been quoted in several papers criticizing the A’s ballpark village proposal.

This is from the Chronicle: “Everyone here seems to be intoxicated with the idea of bringing a professional ball team to Fremont,” said Vinton Bacon of Fremont who works for the Sierra Club. “This project brings more suburban sprawl and is inherently environmentally unfriendly.”

Bacon is probably a longshot to get elected, but, even if he comes up short, he should take some satisfaction knowing that he is the subject of the Tri-City Beat’s 100th post. Quite a milestone.

So here are some winners and losers regarding Morrison’s run for a 6th term:

Winners
Steve Cho - Last week he was facing a well-funded incumbent with no real issue to mount an insurgency campaign. He’s still an underdog, but now he’s part of a three-way free-for-all, where he is expected to do well among Chinese-American voters and 40 percent of the vote might be enough for victory.

A’s Haters - If Morrison is elected, he’s just one vote out of five on the council, but a Morrison victory would be interpreted as a rejection of the stadium project. And, it would be politically dicey for the council to approve the biggest development in Fremont history soon after its biggest critic was elected mayor.

Matt Artz - That’s me. Cho vs Wasserman seemed eerily familiar to the 2006 Union City Council race I covered: an issue-free affair in which the challenger, positioning himself as an outsider, struggled to articulate a compelling reason to toss out the incumbent. Now issues abound. I can write about the A’s, Fremont’s topsy-turvy budget projections, political heavyweights with divided loyalties, and, most interesting, competing visions of Fremont as either a big league town full of entertainment options or a bedroom community where people move to raise their kids. Lucky me.

To continue on to losers, click here: Read the rest of this entry »

Not sure how many of you listen to the Jim Rome show in the mornings, but in case you missed it Oakland A’s GM Billy Beane was interviewed this morning. At one point Rome, whom you might remember from his dubious ribbing of Jim Everett many moons ago, referred to Fremont. He asked Beane if his intent with his off-season moves was to shore up a young, quality team for when the club moves into the new stadium in the future … Read the rest of this entry »