LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — As Oakland A's officials continue the process of exploring a move to Southern Nevada, the team is looking east for a model of what type of ballpark development we could see here.
A's president Dave Kaval told Channel 13 this week that the Atlanta Braves stadium development could be something to emulate.
The Braves play at Trusit Park, a ballpark that opened in 2017 and is surrounded by retail and commercial buildouts and office space.
It's all a part of an area called The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development where certain taxes collected from a zone around the ballpark are used to pay for it.
It's often referred to as "tax increment financing," now a popular way to fund new stadiums around the country.
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"Not only can we do the actual stadium, which I think is going to be amazing and iconic, but we can also do a ballpark village around it, kind of like The Battery in Atlanta," Kaval said.
In Las Vegas, the A's have zeroed in on a 49-acre piece of land just north of Allegiant Stadium, and west of Interstate 15 where it intersects with Tropicana Avenue.
The A's have an agreement in place to purchase the land. The team has said it will fork over about $1 billion for what would be a $1.5 billion ballpark project.
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The remaining funding could potentially come from a tax district here that is similar to what is in Cobb County, Georgia, about 10 miles from downtown Atlanta.
Kevin Reichard, publisher of Ballpark Digest, raves about the fan experience at the Braves park.
"It's a great ballpark," he said during a Zoom call with Channel 13 on Friday. "It's one of the best in baseball. It was a pioneer in that mixed-use districts were not common in the baseball world."
Whether public officials here will pursue such a tax district remains to be seen.
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