The Las Vegas Stadium Authority board will meet Thursday, and the meetings will discuss several key elements of the Athletics' plans to build a new baseball stadium in Las Vegas for the 2028 season. Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (two Left) has details on matters related to the ballpark on the agenda, including letters regarding the financing of the project – the four letters are from the A's themselves, from owner John Fisher regarding his family's investment, and from US Bank regarding the finances and options of the The Fisher family fulfill their agreements and also receive a letter from both US Bank and Goldman Sachs regarding their $300 million loan to the A's to finance construction of the new stadium.
Perhaps the biggest advantage is that the price of the project increases, from $1.5 billion to $1.75 billion. The increase was no surprise, and Sandy Dean, A's executive director, says the additional money is necessary.is due to the combination of expanding the ballpark to include a variety of features and generally increasing construction costs.” New features include upgrades to the suites and general admission areas, an audio and video system that makes the venue suitable for hosting concerts, and the unique element of a seat cooling system.
The cost breakdown is that up to $380 million will be covered by Clark County and the State of Nevada, $300 million will be covered by the US Bank/Goldman Sachs loan, and the remainder (including the additional $250 million US dollars in new costs) will be borne by US Bank, the Fisher family and athletics. The Fishers' stake could be reduced if minority owners are found, as these new partners would cover some of the construction costs in exchange for a small share of the franchise. Akers noted that the A's will be responsible for any further increases to the project's budget, and Dean said athletics is still only spending $350 million of the $380 million provided by citizens.
Three key agreements will be reached at Thursday's meeting, covering not only the construction of the ballpark, but also items such as the length of the initial lease (originally set at 30 years) and what would happen if the Athletics tried to buy the stadium these 30 years were over. These special elements make this meeting “the most important yet” in athletics’ effort to officially get the project underway, Akers writes.
If all goes according to plan, construction will officially begin this spring, with an eye toward completing the ballpark for Opening Day 2028. In the meantime, the A's will play at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025-27 season.