Title
Public Hearing to Consider Adoption of Resolution Finding by a Two-Thirds Vote that the Proposed Project for the Oakland Roots and Soul SC to Install Modular Stands, Stadium Lighting, and Associated Temporary Facilities to Host up to 24 Professional Soccer Matches with up to 8,000 Attendees and Several Smaller Sporting Events Annually at 1150 and 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway is Consistent with the Purposes Set Forth in California Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et seq., the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, and that No Other Suitable Site Outside the Airport Influence Area is Available.
The streamlining provisions of Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines apply because the project is consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan or Zoning for which an EIR was certified (Alameda General Plan 2040 Update Environmental Impact Report (SCH# 2021030563)) (Planning, Building & Transportation 20962710)
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Gerry Beaudin, City Manager
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Oakland Roots & Soul SC (Roots) proposes to host professional soccer matches with up to 8,000 attendees at its headquarters and training facility in the Harbor Bay Business Park adjacent to the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK) on an interim basis for up to five years. The City of Alameda’s (City) General Plan, Policy HS-48.b requires that, prior to the first discretionary action on the project, a finding of consistency with the OAK Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) or the purposes of the State Aeronautics Act be made. On September 16, the County of Alameda Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) voted to reject the project as proposed, in part because it sought more information on operational impacts and mitigation measures. Since the ALUC meeting, the Roots and City staff have worked diligently with OAK staff to address concerns related to airport operations. Staff believes that concerns raised by the ALUC have been adequately addressed via project design, robust conditions of approval, and ongoing coordination. The project was also found by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to pose no airport hazards, and, if the project proceeds, it would need to strictly comply with FAA conditions and regulations. Staff recommend the City Council find the project consistent with the ALUCP and direct the Planning Board to act on the project application and, if approved, incorporate conditions of approval that maximize public safety and minimize impacts on airport operations.
BACKGROUND
Proposed Project
The Roots headquarters and training facility are located at 1220 and 1150 Harbor Bay Parkway. The Roots have occupied the site since the Raiders relocated to Las Vegas. The privately owned facility is approximately 17 acres, with office space, training facilities, a parking lot, and practice fields at the eastern end of the Harbor Bay Business Park near the intersection of Harbor Bay Parkway and Ron Cowan Parkway, and adjacent to the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport (OAK).
On May 12, 2026, the City received an application from the Roots seeking approval to host professional soccer matches on an interim basis for up to five years at their headquarters and training facility. The project would include installing modular stands, stadium lighting, and associated temporary facilities to host up to 24 matches with up to 8,000 attendees, as well as several smaller sporting events annually. The Project Plans are attached as Exhibit 1. These events and improvements would require subsequent Planning Board approval of a Use Permit and Design Review, as well as findings of consistency with the City’s General Plan.
General Plan Requirements
The General Plan Health and Safety Element Policy HS-48 includes the following actions relevant to the proposed project:
a. Land Use Safety and Compatibility. The City shall adopt by reference the Oakland International Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan (ALUCP) and shall review all development proposals east of High Street and all development proposals on Bay Farm Island (those areas within the Airport Influence Area designated in the ALUCP) for consistency with the height, safety, and noise policies identified in ALUCP Sections 3.3.1 Noise, 3.3.2 Safety and 3.3.3 Airspace Protection. The City shall further ensure compliance with all applicable Federal Aviation Administration rules and regulations, including federal aviation regulations Part 77 et seq., and State law, with respect to criteria related to land use safety and airspace protection.
b. ALUC Referrals. For development in the Airport Influence Area, ensure that all actions listed in Section 2.6.2 of the ALUCP be referred to the Airport Land Use Commission for review prior to approval of the first discretionary action on the proposed project, or find, by a two-thirds vote of the City Council, that the proposed action is consistent with the purposes of Article 3.5 of Chapter 4 of the State Aeronautics Act, Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et seq.
c. Non-conforming Land Uses. Limit the expansion and reconstruction of non-conforming land uses as described in Section 2.7.5.7 of the ALUCP.
Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan
The purpose of the ALUCP is to encourage compatible land uses in the vicinity surrounding an airport and to provide for the “orderly growth of each public airport and the area surrounding the airport” while safeguarding “the general welfare of the inhabitants within the vicinity of the airport and the public in general” (PUC Section 21675(a)). The proposed project is located in the ALUCP Safety Compatibility Zone 6 “Traffic Pattern Zone” of the Airport Influence Area west of the end of “North Field” runway 28L/10R as indicated in Exhibit 2 - Airport Safety Zones.
The actions in General Plan Policy HS-48 require a finding of consistency with the ALUCP by either the Airport Land Use Commission (ALUC) or the purposes of the State Aeronautics Act by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the City Council prior to the Planning Board making any decision on the Use Permit and Design Review application. The project was referred to the ALUC in early August 2026. The ALUC is administered and staffed by the Alameda County Planning Department. County staff presented its analysis and recommended that the ALUC find the project compatible at the ALUC’s September 16, 2026, meeting. The ALUC staff report and materials can be found at: <https://www.acgov.org/board/bos_calendar/documents/CDAMeetings_09_16_26/Item4packet.pdf>.
OAK staff presented various safety and operational concerns to the ALUC, including a desire for:
• Further analysis of lighting and glare from the field lights and scoreboard
• A comprehensive waste management plan to prevent attracting birds, which can pose a threat to aircraft
• Ongoing monitoring and coordination.
Commissioner deliberations focused on the lighting, glare, and bird attractants. Multiple commissioners focused on the language in ALUCP Section 3.3.2.5 as reason to oppose the project: “the perceived risk of an aircraft accident occurring in a location where large amounts of people have restricted mobility may be perceived as an intolerable risk no matter where it may be located within an AIA” (emphasis added).
Commissioners also discussed a private covenant recorded against the project site in favor of the Port of Oakland, which prohibits open-air amphitheaters. The covenant was recorded against the entire Harbor Bay Business Park by the area's original developer. The Roots and Port staff are in separate, ongoing discussions to resolve the covenant restrictions. After a lengthy discussion, the ALUC voted 4-0-1, with the OAK representative abstaining, to reject the proposed project without making specific findings of non-compatibility. Commissioners expressed a willingness to rehear the proposal if refinements were made that could address the issues raised.
The Roots have a compressed timeline to be prepared for the 2027 season. The ALUC meets infrequently and often has challenges obtaining a quorum. On October 12, 2026, the Roots submitted a Request for Determination (Exhibit 3), asking the City Council to make the necessary findings, pursuant to General Plan Health and Safety Element Policy HS-48, that the project is consistent with the ALUCP. After consulting with ALUC staff, OAK staff, and the applicant, City staff decided that bringing the request directly to City Council was the best option.
State Aeronautics Act
California Public Utilities Code Section 21670(a)(2) provides that the purposes of the State Aeronautics Act (Act) are to “protect public health, safety, and welfare by ensuring the orderly expansion of airports and the adoption of land use measures that minimize the public’s exposure to excessive noise and safety hazards within areas around public airports to the extent that these areas are not already devoted to incompatible uses.” To achieve these purposes, the Act requires each county with an airport to establish an airport land use commission and adopt an airport land use compatibility plan.
Each compatibility plan establishes Airport Safety and Noise Compatibility Zones, among others, based on objective local conditions such as runway orientation and flight traffic patterns. The development standards for each zone are standardized in the Caltrans California Airport Land Use Planning Handbook, although each county can modify these standards as appropriate for local conditions when adopting the plan.
While General Plan Policy HS-48 requires City Council to make a finding of consistency with the Act, staff recommends that City Council consider whether the project is consistent with the ALUCP, which was adopted to further the purposes of the Act, as the basis, or part of the basis, to make this finding.
DISCUSSION
Large Gatherings and Perceived Risk
ALUCP Section 3.3.2.5 (Airport Safety Zones) notes that while large gathering spaces like stadiums within an Airport Influence Area (AIA) are often seen as high-risk due to limited mobility during an emergency, the ALUCP lacks specific guidelines on how the ALUC should evaluate these projects. ALUCP Table 3-2 states that “large outdoor assembly areas (>1,000 people): amusement park area, amphitheaters, stadiums, etc.” are considered conditionally compatible if no other suitable sites outside AIA are available. The Roots have provided information demonstrating that there is no existing alternative facility in the East Bay suitable for the Club.
The Bay Area has multiple stadiums with much larger capacity and more frequent events than the Roots propose that are located near major airports. PayPal Park, home of the Major League Soccer franchise San Jose Earthquakes, has a capacity of 18,000 and is several hundred feet closer to the end of the primary runway of San Jose Mineta International Airport than the Roots’ proposed venue is to the end of OAK North Field Runway 28R. The Oakland Coliseum, capacity 63,000, is also within the OAK Airport Influence Area and is subject to the same conditional compatibility requirement and ALUCP Section 3.3.2.5 “perceived risk” language as the proposed interim site in Alameda.
The project site is within the Harbor Bay Business Park, which permits hotels, high-density office, and research & development uses in buildings up to 100 feet tall, and hosts thousands of employees and visitors throughout the typical 40-hour workweek. The proposed project is intended to be used for a limited period of five years. There will be a limited number of events at the maximum venue capacity of 8,000 attendees, each of which is approximately two hours in duration.
OAK Airport Concerns
City staff and the Roots have continued to work closely with OAK Airport staff since the ALUC meeting to address airport safety concerns.
Lighting: The applicant has worked to provide technical details and analysis of the proposed lighting elements to airport staff to minimize the potential for glare to impact pilots or air traffic control tower staff. Additionally, the project is required to comply with the City’s Dark Skies Ordinance to prevent spillover light from impacting neighboring properties, which would be a requirement regardless of the site’s proximity to the airport. All light fixtures will be modern LEDs, shielded, and pointed downwards.
Waste Management: Federal and state laws regarding solid waste management are administered by the regional Alameda County Waste Management Authority and City Public Works Department staff, who will ensure that waste management for the project is operated in a way that does not attract wildlife that can pose a hazard to flight operations.
Operational Safety Protocol: As part of the proposed event management protocols, the City will provide a 24/7 emergency contact number so that airport personnel can immediately notify facility operators if hazards to flight operations occur. Further, the City will require the applicant to meet with airport personnel soon after the initial events and on a regular basis thereafter to fine-tune project operations.
No Viable Alternative Sites
Included in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Checklist (Exhibit 4) as Appendix E is a detailed justification of why there is not a suitable site for the Roots outside the Airport Influence Area. The Roots have been in search of a stable match day venue since launching as a member of the USL Championship in the 2019 season. USL Championship requires a match-day venue with a minimum of 5,000 fans. The Roots have had four different home fields in their seven years, including Laney College, Las Positas College, Cal State East Bay, and the Oakland Coliseum. For various logistical and financial feasibility reasons, these and several other options considered are not suitable for the Roots’ current and future needs.
The Roots have entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement with the Port of Oakland for a permanent home at the Howard Terminal site. That process, if successful, will take several years to develop. The proposed Harbor Bay site is the only option that is:
• Close to Alameda/Oakland/Inner East Bay
• Can provide a high-quality fan experience
• Field both the Roots and Soul in the same location
• Provide a stable interim match day home
• Predictable control of the site to support the club’s purpose.
Conclusion
The Roots have demonstrated that no other suitable site outside the Airport Influence Area is available. The project is consistent with the purposes of Article 3.5 of Chapter 4 of the State Aeronautics Act, Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et seq. and the ALUCP in that the temporary nature of the facility, combined with robust operational conditions, minimizes safety hazards and prevents interference with airport operations. Staff recommends City Council make the necessary findings for compatibility and direct the Planning Board to take action on the proposed application for conditional use permit and design review, and in doing so, if approved, incorporate conditions of approval that both maximize public safety of people attending stadium events, and minimize adverse impacts on aircraft safety and airport operations, including but not limited to concerns related to lighting, glare, and wildlife hazards.
ALTERNATIVES
• Direct staff and the applicant to refer a revised proposal back to the ALUC for further consideration. Due to the time sensitivity of the Roots 2027 season plans, the difficulty in obtaining a quorum, and uncertainty about the ALUC members’ receptiveness to the project, even if OAK staff are satisfied with project details and conditions of approval, this would likely prevent the project from moving forward.
• Reject the project by making specific findings of incompatibility with the ALUCP and the State Aeronautics Act. This would also prevent the project from moving forward with all associated losses in increased economic activity, sales tax, and Transient Occupancy Tax revenues the project is expected to produce.
• Approve the staff recommendation with specific additional changes or conditions of approval necessary to find the project compatible with the ALUCP.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
No City funds are proposed to support the Roots interim venue project. Hosting professional soccer matches in Alameda will bring thousands of people from the region. The increased economic activity associated with these matches is expected to attract additional customers to local businesses and positively impact sales tax and transient occupancy tax revenues.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
General Plan Health and Safety Element, Policy HS-48: Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan
Citywide Strategic Plan, TIE 26 - Expand Citywide Business Economic Development Activities
2018 Economic Development Strategic Plan - Tourism and Hospitality Target Sector General Plan Land Use Element Goal 2: Economy - Strengthen and diversify the Alameda business community and economy
This action is subject to the Levine Act.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The streamlining provisions of Section 15183 of the CEQA Guidelines apply because the project is consistent with a Community Plan, General Plan, or Zoning for which an EIR was certified (Alameda General Plan 2040 Update Environmental Impact Report (SCH# 2021030563)), and no further environmental review is required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
As detailed in the CEQA Checklist and transportation analysis, the interim Project is expected to increase vehicle miles traveled (VMT). The increase in VMT is within the levels analyzed in the City’s 2040 General Plan EIR. Further, the Project’s proposed transportation demand management plan includes provisions to reduce drive-alone trips and therefore VMT, such as a bike valet, shuttles, carpooling, and managed parking. No other components of the Project are expected to have an impact on climate.
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a Resolution finding by a two-thirds vote that the proposed project for the Oakland Roots and Soul SC to install modular stands, stadium lighting, and associated temporary facilities to host up to 24 professional soccer matches with up to 8,000 attendees and several smaller sporting events annually at 1150 and 1220 Harbor Bay Parkway is consistent with the purposes set forth in California Public Utilities Code Section 21670 et seq., the Airport Land Use Compatibility Plan for the Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport, and that no other suitable site outside the airport influence area is available.
Respectfully submitted,
Abigail Thorne-Lyman, Interim Planning, Building and Transportation Department Director
By,
Brian McGuire, Acting Planning Services Manager
Jeff Bond, Special Advisor
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Ross McCarthy, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Project Plans
2. Airport Safety Zones
3. Request for Determination
4. CEQA Checklist
cc: Port of Oakland