Land use permits nod for ‘A’s’ Strip stadium

Article posted by Coliseum, April 7^th, 2025

Image: Athletics

The Major League Baseball (MLB) team Athletics moved a step closer to starting construction on the team’s planned $1.75 billion Las Vegas (US) ballpark after the Clark County Commissioners unanimously approved land use permits on April 2^nd.

‘LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’ stated that the permits include those for recreational or entertainment facility, live entertainment, vocational training, office, outdoor dining and drinking and cooking, and outdoor market. The ‘A’s’ plan to play their home games at the 33,000-fan capacity stadium which also will host other sporting and live entertainment events.

The Athletics (often referred to as the ‘A’s) are an American professional baseball team based in West Sacramento, California (US). The Athletics compete in the Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West Division. The team will play its home games at the Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento for the 2025-2027 seasons before its planned relocation to the Las Vegas Metropolitan area.

While in West Sacramento the team is being referred to as simply the ‘Athletics’ and ‘A’s’ with no City name attached.

The 14,014-capacity Sutter Health Park is a ballpark in West Sacramento, California (US). It is the temporary home of the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB).

The 33,000-capacity New Las Vegas Stadium is a future fixed-roof ballpark to be built on the site of the former Tropicana Las Vegas on the Las Vegas Strip (road in the Las Vegas Valley, Nevada known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos) in Paradise, Nevada (US). It is planned as the new home stadium of the Athletics of Major League Baseball (MLB).

Image: Athletics

‘A’s’ President Marc Badain said following the meeting, “Today (April 2^nd) we got approval that we can now start pulling permits, that we can now start working towards the actual construction and erection of this building. Obviously a big step but a lot of the work has been done over the last few years and I got to join in the last month.”

‘LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’ further stated that the approval included several waivers of development standards including onsite parking reductions, traffic mitigation plans and landscaping mitigation.

The onsite parking requirements will be reduced from 7,650 to 2,470 with those spots to be located in a parking garage to be built on the site’s Southeast corner.

‘Sooner the Better’

The County Commissioners also approved allowing the ‘A’s’ to begin excavating the site before a development agreement is finalized with the county.

Added Badain, “The sooner we can get started the better to stay on schedule and get the building up and running in time for the 2028 season. We’re on schedule now and this was a big step.”

The A’s aim to begin construction between April and June with plans to have the building ready for the 2028 MLB season.

Averred Jim Gibson, Clark County Commissioner, “The iconic structure that is proposed there is something that opens a lot of doors when it comes to the importance of the Las Vegas Boulevard (a major road in Clark County, Nevada) to this community and to the world, frankly. I consider this to be a transformative action that we’re taking here today.”

Community Support

Dozens of trade workers with Laborers Union Local 872 attended the meeting each donning ‘A’s’ caps and kelly-green T-shirts reading ‘Approve it and they will come’ playing off the famous line from the baseball movie – the ‘Field of Dreams’.

Image: Athletics

Based on the success of the 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada (US) the ‘A’s’ ballpark marks another chance to show the world what Las Vegas can build and what the City has to offer.

Tommy White, Laborers 872 (Labor Union in Nevada) Business Manager and Secretary-Treasurer, said during public comment, “This is not only about jobs for the construction workers because we get out there, we build it, then we go.”

Added White, who also sits on the Las Vegas Stadium Authority Board, “This is about the jobs that take place afterwards also.”

‘A Tremendous Project’

The Members of Culinary Local 226 (Labor Union in Nevada) also attended in support of the project with the Union Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge stating that the ‘A’s’ have approached the project and the community in the right way since the team began looking into the market in 2021.

With the union previously having a long contract for its members with the former Tropicana hotel (casino hotel) and the Bally’s Corporation (an American gambling, betting and interactive entertainment company) Pappageorge said it’s vital to keep that union connection going with the development of the new site – “It was quite important for us for whatever happens on that site follows the union contracts, the union work and is good for the community. It’s a tremendous project but I do want to say … the ‘A’s’ and the team that they have and the ownership from the beginning has done a great job.”

During the public comment period the representatives from the gaming companies, the business associations and the other sports entities joined the unions in speaking in favor of the ballpark. None opposed it or questioned the project’s plan.

That’s in contrast to the buildup to the Allegiant Stadium when the meeting attendees often would speak both for and against the project. The lack of opposition this time around could be the result of how the Allegiant Stadium and professional sports in general have transformed the Las Vegas Valley, Badain said.

Observed Badain, who led the Allegiant Stadium’s building process for the National Football League (NFL) team Las Vegas Raiders, “Obviously what the sports teams that have come before the ‘A’s’ have done here and helped transform the City into the sports and entertainment capital of the world. Now adding baseball and 81 dates and all the other events that we will be able to bring to this facility will just add to what’s already been a transformative time in Vegas history.”

What’s Next?

Although the April 2^nd approval marked a major step in the stadium process work remains before shovels can hit the ground on the Tropicana site.

The ‘A’s’ will now work on getting a season ticket sales center up and running in Las Vegas and begin pursuing partnership deals with the entities wanting to be part of the ballpark project.

The design process will be finalized and work with the county will continue to see permits issued and construction started on the ballpark.

Maintained Badain, “At some point we will announce a date for the groundbreaking and we’ll get the chance to see that beautiful structure come out of the ground. It will be another piece of infrastructure for Las Vegas to be proud of.”

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