Title
WITHDRAWN Recommendation to Support County of Alameda Participation in an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District in Support of the Oakland Athletics Stadium at Howard Terminal. (City Manager 10021030) [Will not be heard on October 19, 2021]
Body
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has requested that the mayors of incorporated cities in Alameda County, including the City of Alameda (City), sign a letter of support encouraging the Alameda County Board of Supervisors to “opt in” to the Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District in support of the Oakland Athletics Stadium at Howard Terminal. The letter of support provided by Mayor Schaaf is attached as Exhibit 1.
BACKGROUND
The Oakland Athletics are proposing a plan to build the Waterfront Ballpark District at Howard Terminal on the Oakland waterfront, directly across the Estuary from Alameda Landing.
To assist in the financing of significant public infrastructure improvements to support the Howard Terminal project, the City of Oakland and the Oakland A’s are proposing to establish an enhanced infrastructure financing district. The attached letter provides a detailed description of the proposed Howard Terminal project and the Waterfront Ballpark District. The City of Oakland seeks support from its regional partners, and has requested that Alameda County take action at its upcoming meeting of October 26 to “opt in” to the enhanced infrastructure financing district. As stated in the letter,
“The Enhanced Infrastructure Finance [sic] District (EIFD) that the County is being asked to join would only capture property taxes that are generated by the project itself and wouldn’t put the County’s general fund or taxpayers at risk. In fact, if the Ballpark District were built today, even after contributing its net-new property taxes to an EIFD, the County would receive more than five million dollars per year in sales and transfer taxes to support essential healthcare, homelessness, and early childhood education services - funds that would not exist “but for” the project.”
DISCUSSION
Over the last two years, Cityplanning staff has met with the Oakland A’s staff on several occasions, with City of Oakland planning staff on several occasions, and has written two letters to Oakland regarding the proposed Oakland Athletics Stadium at Howard Terminal project. In these meetings and in the City’s letters, City planning staff has:
• Acknowledged that the proposed project is a major regional project with regional benefits and some regional impacts. City staff believes that Alameda residents will benefit from the expanded and improved waterfront public improvements and the growth of visitor serving businesses and restaurants that will occur in the vicinity as the result of the project. Staff also believes that these economic benefits will cross the estuary and benefit the West Alameda Business Association (WABA), which is directly across the Estuary from the proposed new ballpark at Washington Street and Embarcadero in Oakland.
• Acknowledged that the proposed project places greater obligations and responsibilities on the regional transportation agencies (Alameda County Transportation Agency and Caltrans) and the City of Oakland to make significant improvements to the transportation system in the vicinity of the Webster and Posey Tubes, I-880, Broadway, Jackson Street, and the surrounding network of streets in Oakland to mitigate the transportation congestion that will be caused on these streets when the 35,000+ seat stadium is in operation on a typical game day or event evening. City staff’s position and written comments on the project also emphasize that to effectively mitigate the transportation congestion that will affect the entire region, the regional transportation agencies, Oakland, and the Oakland Athletics must focus on improving bicycle, pedestrian and transit access across the estuary. This work will require improvements and expansion of water transit services (by WETA and other agencies) and improvements and expansion of bus services by AC Transit and other agencies across the Estuary. Alameda staff has also worked closely with the Oakland A’s staff and the Oakland planning staff to analyze the possibilities of an aerial tram connection across the estuary (not feasible) and the possibilities of landing the West Alameda Bicycle Pedestrian Bridge in the vicinity of Washington Street near the main entrance to the new stadium (potentially feasible).
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may:
• choose to send a letter of support to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors,
• choose to remain neutral by not sending a letter, or
• choose to send a letter to oppose a decision by the County to “opt in” to the proposed infrastructure finance district.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no financial impact from sending a letter. If the County participates in the proposed EIFD, there would be no impact to the City of Alameda’s General Fund.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
Supporting a decision by the County to “opt in” to a financing district does not conflict or support any particular City of Alameda policies or municipal code sections.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A decision to send a letter of support is not a “project” requiring environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act. Furthermore, the City of Alameda is not a lead or responsible agency for the proposed stadium project.
CLIMATE IMPACT
There are no climate impacts from the decision to support or oppose the County’s participation in a financing district. The climate effects of the stadium proposal are analyzed in the City of Oakland’s Environmental Impact Report for the project.
RECOMMENDATION
Support Alameda County’s participation in an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District in support of the Oakland Athletics Stadium at Howard Terminal.
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
The Mayor received the attached request to sign on to a letter of support, staff is bringing the requested letter for City Council consideration.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning Building and Transportation Director
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Annie To, Finance Director
Exhibit:
1. Draft Letter
cc: Eric Levitt, City Manager
Gerry Beaudin, Assistant City Manager