Oakland is looking to unload Raiders facility
Oakland may open negotiations next month with the owner of the Oakland Roots and Soul soccer teams to buy the city’s share of the former Raiders training facility in Alameda.
If approved, the sale would take a small bite out of Oakland’s budget deficit and allow the site to be considered as a training venue for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which is set to take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
An ordinance introduced Thursday in a City Council committee directs the city administrator to negotiate and execute a sale along with Alameda County, the joint owner of the site, and Prologis, a real estate investment firm working with Oakland Pro Soccer LLC on the acquisition of the site. Oakland Pro Soccer owns the second division Oakland Roots men’s soccer team and USL W League Soul women’s team.
The ordinance, which will be voted on Feb. 6, lists the sale price as $24 million, to be split between Oakland and Alameda County. That is less than the city had previously sought. If the facility obtains that price, Oakland would net $11.5 million after fees and other transaction costs.
Oakland’s move comes two days after the Alameda County Board of Supervisors met in closed session to discuss negotiations with Oakland Pro Soccer and a competing group called Steam Factory Oakland LLC.
The county has not publicly said whether it favors one offer over another. Steam Factory Oakland has offered $25.5 million for the site, according to an Oakland staff report. City staff noted that while Steam Factory Oakland is offering a higher price, any deal would be contingent on the buyer securing financing. Little is known about Steam Factory Oakland or its plans for the facility.
The 17-acre site previously served as the headquarters and practice facility for the Raiders and includes two buildings with offices, conference and media rooms, and fitness spaces. It has been without a permanent tenant for years, but the Oakland Roots and Soul have been leasing the site since 2021 for training.
Brendan Moriarty, a real estate manager who is part of the city’s negotiating team, said Thursday that moving ahead with the sale is critical because the property is in consideration for use during the World Cup in 2026. In 2022, FIFA announced the 16 cities set to host games during the international soccer tournament — 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico and two in Canada. Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara is set to host games, but not the Oakland Coliseum.
According to a city staff report released Thursday, FIFA has recently evaluated the former Raiders training facility and said it is a “strong candidate” to host a participating team for training during the tournament. The city and county must show that the site is available and up to standards early this year for FIFA to consider it, according to the city report.
Steven Aldrich, chair of the Oakland Roots, spoke during public comment in support of the ordinance and echoed Moriarty’s urgency.
“Timing is critical,” Aldrich said. “We have an opportunity to bring a team to the Bay Area for the 2026 World Cup that could potentially be housed at that training facility.”
Oakland has been counting on the sale of the facility to help bridge its nearly $360 million budget deficit. The minimum bid price for the site at a failed auction in June was $35.8 million, according to the city’s website. Oakland will get half of whatever the property is eventually sold for.
City staff said the Prologis offer is attractive because it isn’t reliant on the buyer securing financing and would allow the Oakland Roots and Soul soccer teams to continue to practice there, while also positioning the property’s use in the World Cup. If the city and the county sell to Prologis, Oakland Pro Soccer would have a long-term lease for the site and city staff said there could be an opportunity for the teams to purchase it from Prologis later.
Prologis plans to use the site as an ongoing soccer training facility with the possibility of industrial development in the future, according to the city staff report.