Construction start of a new stadium in Las Vegas to host the former Oakland, Calif.-based Athletics Major League Baseball team gained a key approval on Dec. 5, with the municipal stadium authority unanimously greenlighting the now $1.75-billion facility. 

The $250-million cost hike from the previous $1.5-billion cost estimate is due to inflation and 70,000 sq ft of space added for upgraded general admission areas and for amenities such as clubs and suites, team officials said. With planned standing-room space, the domed stadium attendee capacity increases to 33,000.

Groundbreaking for the stadium, to be built on the one-time Las Vegas Strip location of the Tropicana casino-hotel, is set for mid-2025. The former structure was imploded in October. The team will play at a Sacramento, Calif., minor league stadium until the new facility is ready, set for early 2028.  

Project funding is expected from private and public sources—including a $1.1-billion pledge from the family of team owner John Fisher; up to $380 million in approved state money; a $300-million construction loan from U.S. Bank and Goldman Sachs; and possible sale of a minority stake in the team, although there are no offers currently. 

Approval includes a 140-page project development agreement that requires an independent construction monitor to oversee stadium progress. Athletics StadCo LLC, the team construction subsidiary, assumes responsibility for design, construction and cost overruns. It also agrees to pay prevailing wages and set diversity goals, including outreach to minority- and women-owned subcontractors. 

Project contractor is a Mortenson-McCarthy joint venture, which also built Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas in 2020 for the former Oakland Raiders National Football League team. It also is used by the University of Las Vegas football team.

Architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group is baseball stadium design lead with HNTB as sports/hospitality designer and Thornton-Tomasetti as structural engineer. 

Sandy Dean, an adviser to Fisher, said the project “has a lot of moving pieces, and some things have gone up,” with the project team seeking ways to reduce costs. “As we’ve gone through the process of design, there have been places where, especially our subcontractors and design partners, have given us feedback,” he said.

With only nine acres to build on, Dean described the new stadium as “a very intimate ballpark,” with the shortest distance between the stands and home plate among major league baseball venues.

StadCo submitted documentation saying $40 million has already been spent on the project and that development team members “completed the conceptual design and the schematic design phase ... and are currently working on the design development phase.”

Clark County officials also are set to approve agreements with the team.

Meanwhile, potential buyers are negotiating to buy the site of the Athletics' former base, the Oakland Coliseum, built in 1965 for redevelopment.