Tampa Bay Rays new home

Although the team is only a decade old, in 2007 the Tampa Bay Rays announced plans for a new waterfront ballpark. Since their inception, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field, perhaps one of the best domed stadiums ever in Major League Baseball. Even though many fans prefer to watch baseball being played outside, Tropicana Field keeps the summertime heat and humidity out, keeping fans cool. Over the last couple of years, the Rays have invested money in making their stadium one of the best experience for their fans. However, because the team has been one of the worst in baseball and that Tropicana Field lacks some of the amenities of newer ballparks, the team has began exploring options of constructing a new ballpark.
In November 2007, the Rays announced plans to build a new ballpark in downtown St. Petersburg, on the location of their spring training home, Al Lang Field. At a cost of $450 million, the ballpark would seat 34,000 fans and be complete at the earliest by 2012. If constructed, the ballpark will be open to the elements, but will have a retractable roof that will open or close in eight minutes. The retractable roof will be one of the most unique in baseball as it will consist of a light weatherproof fabric that will be pulled over the playing field by a hoist tower in centerfield. It will have all the same modern and fan friendly amenities as every other ballpark built. It will have air conditioned concourses with views of the field and the smallest upper deck in baseball.In May 2008 the Tampa Bay Rays announced their financing plan to construct the ballpark. Owner of the Rays, Stuart Sternberg, would contribute $150 million, $70 million or more would come from the sale of Tropicana Field, $100 million from a one-cent extension from Pinellas County tourist development tax that was used to construct Tropicana Field, $75 million from the City of St. Petersburg and $55 million from parking revenues. The Rays would pay for any cost overruns. The Rays are expected to lobby City Council to approve adding to the November 2008 ballot a referendum to authorize the construction. If approved by voters, construction of the ballpark could begin in mid 2009.

Oakland A's new stadium

After almost 40 years of playing at McAfee Coliseum, and for the first time in five years, the Oakland A's announced plans in November 2006 to build a new ballpark in Fremont, CA. After approval from Alameda County and the City of Fremont, the ballpark will be built on a 143 acre tract of land located on the west side of Interstate 880 off of Auto Mall Parkway. Cisco Systems purchased the naming rights to the ballpark for $4million per year over 30 years.
Cisco Field will resemble old classic ballparks of the past while combining the most advanced technology in the world. The ballpark will be the smallest in Major League Baseball, seating up to 34,000 fans. The main three tier grandstand will extend from the left field foul pole to homeplate, and down the first baseline to right field. Additional seating will be found in both right and left field. The break down of seating will consist of field level box seats, 66 four person mini seats 15 rows behind homeplate, lower reserved seats, 41 16 person suites, and rooftop box seats. The main video/scoreboard will be located beyond the left/centerfield fence. A videoboard will be located on the opposite side of the main videoboard allowing fans outside the ballpark to view video of the A's. Early estimates had the ballpark originally opening in 2009 and later 2011. In April 2008, the A's announced that the earliest Cisco Field would open is 2012.
Estimated cost of the ballpark is between $400-$500 million. The anticipated funding for the ballpark will be a combination of private equity and the application of the value of land use entitlements that will be generated by the activities of the ballpark and the adjacent ballpark village developments. The public assistance sought will be in the form of processing the development activity in the most efficient manner possible, the agreement that benefits generated solely by the development will in part or in total be used to facilitate the development program in a manner that will not impose on General Fund or Bonding issues on local government and other aspects of public-private cooperation that will stand the test of public acceptance.

twins new stadium

May 21, 2006, state lawmakers gave final approval to a financing plan for an open-air stadium for the Minnesota Twins. The ballpark was projected to cost $522 million and be ready in time for the 2010 season. On February 12, 2008, the Twins announced they would fund an additional $22.4 million to offset rising infrastructure expenses, bringing the total cost of the project to $544.4 million

Under the terms of a plan unveiled at a Metrodome press conference April 25, 2005, the Twins and Hennepin County would have built a $360 million, 40,000-seat open-air stadium. The site was near the confluence of I-394, the end of the Hiawatha Light Rail line and the proposed Northstar commuter rail in downtown Minneapolis. The total cost of the ballpark project was projected to be $478 million, including bonding costs, site preparation and surrounding infrastructure, such as road and pedestrian improvements.

The proposed ballpark wouldn't include a roof, but the Twins still favored one. The team encouraged the state to help cover that cost, projected to be at least $100 million. Minnesota Twins owner Carl Pohlad had promised to contribute $125 million to the project.

*

In January 2004, the Minnesota Twins unveiled plans for a proposed retractable roof ballpark which would help ensure the long-term viability and competitiveness of the franchise while providing fans throughout the Upper Midwest with the nation's premier baseball venue. This project was estimated to cost $535 million.

While the plan which was actually passed in 2006 does not include a roof, most of the design elements from the 2004 plan survived.

The conceptual Twins ballpark design was a product of HOK Sport + Venue + Event, the same group that designed Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center, Baltimore's Camden Yards and San Francisco's SBC Park. While a site had yet to be determined, the ballpark had been designed to fit on a generic four-square city block. Once a site was selected, variations in the design were necessary in order to accommodate the site, surrounding structures and infrastructure needs.

The new ballpark honors Minnesota's rich baseball heritage and reflects the state's dynamic blend of urban sophistication and rugged outdoor vitality. Featuring the most intimate seating configuration in the game, Minnesota's new ballpark has marked the return of outdoor baseball for a new generation of Twins fans. The ballpark's retractable roof, had it been built, would have offered the best possible fan experience and give fans across the Upper Midwest comfort in planning a baseball outing regardless of the weather.

"The design reflects Minnesota's abundant natural beauty and its citizens' vibrancy," said HOK S+V+E senior principal Earl Santee. "This ballpark will preserve and honor the state's wonderful baseball tradition and add an exciting new dimension to the quality of life. It will be an inviting landmark for all of Minnesota and an intimate home for America's pastime."

Featuring just 40,000 seats on four levels (Lower Deck, Suite Level, Club Level and Upper Deck), Minnesota's new ballpark is among the most intimate facilities in all of Major League Baseball (MLB). Highlights of the seating configuration include only 12,000 seats in the Upper Deck, which represents the fewest number of upper-level seats in all of MLB. The new ballpark also features more than 17,000 seats between first and third base; 60 private suites; 12 group party suites; 4,000 Club seats and disabled seating for more than 800.