SouthernWorldwide.com – The construction of the Oakland Athletics’ $2 billion domed stadium on the Las Vegas Strip is making significant progress, with officials confirming that the project remains on track for its planned opening before the 2028 season.
Updates on the 33,000-capacity ballpark were presented by club and contractor representatives during a Las Vegas Stadium Authority meeting.
“The lower-suite level is progressing substantially,” stated Tyler Van Eeckhaut, project director for contractors Mortenson-McCarthy. “We’re starting to see a lot of rooms taking shape, and that environment has really begun to become a component of the stadium.”
A significant milestone has been reached with the completion of buttress work. The upper deck construction commenced in April. A parking garage on the southeast side will be implemented in phases, initially offering 1,500 spots, with an additional 1,000 spaces available by the project’s completion.
However, the Athletics may need to construct a temporary plaza on the northwest side. Bally’s Corp. has not yet secured financing for an elevated plaza on its property, which is part of a larger $1.19 billion mixed-use development. This development includes a hotel-casino, a 2,500-seat theater, restaurants, and shopping, with the stadium being an integral part of the overall plan.
Sandy Dean, A’s vice chairman, indicated that the club is developing plans to ensure a plaza is operational by the time the first pitch is thrown in the 2028 season.
“Those guys (at Bally’s) are doing a lot of things, and we have to remember Bally’s had the vision to bring us to this site,” Dean remarked. “We and Las Vegas will all benefit from being on the Bally’s site. This is just something we’ve got to sort through together with them in the next little bit.”
Steve Hill, CEO and president of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, has requested that the A’s present a plan regarding the plaza at the next Stadium Authority meeting scheduled for August 20.
“In order to facilitate the retail and the parking that you would ultimately need beneath that plaza area, you have to tear that up and build a permanent plaza at some point in the future,” Hill explained after the meeting. “I don’t know necessarily how that would work. We just asked for clarity on if that looks like an option that might have to be implemented that we understand that it will work.”
A’s President Marc Badain reported that the initial set of suites made available for purchase have already sold out. Furthermore, 80% of the season-ticket packages for seats located behind home plate, designated as the Athletic Club, have been sold. He also mentioned that tickets for the general public will go on sale in the coming months.
The team has also conducted approximately 85 hours of focus-group studies involving 120 Las Vegas-area residents to gather their feedback regarding the A’s relocation. Badain noted that he is not yet prepared to disclose the specific results of these studies.
“We got their feedback with their experience with (the NHL’s Golden Knights and NFL’s Raiders) and things they love and things they’d like to see maybe a little different in our ballpark,” Badain said. “But, overall, it was very positive.”
While construction is underway on the Las Vegas Strip, the A’s are currently playing the second of three planned seasons at a Triple-A stadium located in West Sacramento, California. Prior to this, the team spent 57 seasons in Oakland, California.
Entering Thursday’s games, the A’s held the top position in the AL West standings with a record of 25-24, placing them one game ahead of the Texas Rangers.
The team is scheduled to play six regular-season games next month at Las Vegas Ballpark, which serves as the home for the club’s Triple-A affiliate. Badain confirmed that only a limited number of tickets remain for the series against Milwaukee from June 8-10 and the series against Colorado from June 12-14.
The ceremonial groundbreaking for the stadium took place on June 23. The A’s Ballpark Experience Center in Las Vegas was opened in December, offering fans an opportunity to view detailed stadium plans and engage in other immersive experiences.
Reporting by the Associated Press.
