Phil Matier: Planners Have Ambitious Ideas For Possible New Raiders Stadium In Oakland
OAKLAND (KCBS) – Recent reports have Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis visiting San Antonio, Texas and possibly showing interest in relocating the team there.
But there continues to be plenty of interest here in the Bay Area of not only keeping the team in Oakland, but also building a brand new stadium for the Raiders.
Planners are considering a stadium that would not only be home to a football team, but also attract concerts, special events and even conventions. But many of these functions would require dry weather, which has planners considering a stadium with a retractable or transparent roof.
There are plenty of details still to be worked out, but planners are trying to figure out if they can attract enough of these outside events to justify the added costs a transparent or retractable roof would cost. This as the Raiders have said they prefer an open-air stadium with natural turf, similar to what is already in place at O.co Coliseum. Also in question – who would pay for the infrastructure costs and who would pay the debt on the existing stadium.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan had promised to have a new Raiders stadium deal by the end of summer, but it's unclear how likely that is to happen, with so many moving parts.
The one big question remains – will the Raiders help move the process along or will owner Mark Davis continue to have a wandering eye?
You can hear Phil Matier's comments Monday through Friday at 7:50am and 5:50pm on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM.