Oakland A's want to buy Coliseum site

OAKLAND, Calif. - The Oakland A’s said on Monday they want to assume control of the Coliseum in exchange for paying more than $135 million of city and county debt.

“We want to own our own home,” the team tweeted using the icon for home. “This is more than a slogan. #Rooted in Oakland.”

The A's tweet also included a letter  to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, the City Council and Alameda County Board of Supervisors detailing the team’s offer. The A’s are proposing to buy the site in exchange for paying off the city and county’s roughly $135 million in outstanding debt on the stadium and Oracle Arena.

The A's have played at this site since 1968 and where Raiders are leaving for Las Vegas and the Warriors are leaving for San Francisco.

"I'm excited to work with the A's in their commitment to stay in Oakland and build a privately financed ballpark," Schaaf told KTVU in a statement. "We look forward to reviewing, analyzing and considering the offer." 

The Coliseum is one of two likely sites left in Oakland for the A’s to build a new stadium, the other being Howard Terminal on the waterfront near Jack London Square. A’s President Dave Kaval told San Francisco Chronicle columnists Matier and Ross that the A’s offer doesn’t necessarily mean they’re committing to the Coliseum location — but they don’t want another buyer snatching it up, just in case.