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Oakland A’s get good news on Howard Terminal Project

By David Hill

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 22: General view of the Oakland Athletics logos in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - JULY 22: General view of the Oakland Athletics logos in the dugout before the game against the San Francisco Giants at the Oakland Coliseum on July 22, 2018 in Oakland, California. The Oakland Athletics defeated the San Francisco Giants 6-5 in 10 innings. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /
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While the Oakland A’s had received positive news regarding the Howard Terminal Project, they were not out of the woods yet. There had been several lawsuits in an attempt to stop the proposed project from going forward, any of which could derail those plans and lead to the A’s move to Las Vegas.

That made Monday’s tentative ruling on the three lawsuits brought against the project that much more important. As Casey Pratt from ABC7 pointed out, the A’s and the City of Oakland won on virtually every point in what he referred to as a “near rout.”

Oakland A’s inching ever closer to Howard Terminal Project

Although most of the lawsuits are expected to be dismissed, there is one area that could be a small issue. The judge noted that the Environmental Impact Report does not adequately address mitigation for wind impacts.

In the grand scheme of things, that is an easy enough fix. Adjusting that would not require another EIR, which would then need to be redistributed and could delay the process for another 270 days. At that point, with a new mayor and a potentially different political climate, the A’s could just decide it is not worth the effort.

One had to imagine that there would eventually be a snag. After decades of frustration, the Howard Terminal Project was starting to come together quickly. Something was bound to happen to cause a problem.

If the wind impact is that problem, then this is a major victory. It is something that should not take much time to correct and will allow the project to continue. That binding vote should still take place by the end of the year and, hopefully, the A’s will actually end up Rooted in Oakland.

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The Howard Terminal Project is getting ever closer for the Oakland A’s. A preliminary ruling on the Environmental Impact Report has found one small issue.