Burrell Field for Shoreline Landfill?
By Mia Ousley
The City of San Leandro would like to trade the San Leandro Unified School District land at Oyster Point in exchange for the land currently occupied by Burrell Field. The school district could develop the land at Oyster Point into a new sports facility, while the City developed the Burrell Field land as a commercial enterprise.
Not surprising, some San Leandro high teachers and coaches prefer to keep Burrell Field and turn it into a professional quality stadium rather than try to ship kids across town to former landfill at the shoreline for their athletics. Some opponents oppose the swap because they believe Oyster Point should be protected wetlands. Others say if the City doesn’t want to develop Oyster Point because it used to be a dump, why should the school district want to make it a kid’s playing field?
Jack Nelson, a history teacher and assistant track coach at the high school, is one of those spearheading an effort to make a sports complex that supporters say could be rented out to professional soccer teams for specific events. The plans include a 6,000-8,000 seat stadium rebuilt on the current football field, which would support football and soccer and be surrounded by a track field. The current parking lot would sport a four-story building with locker rooms, meeting rooms, an observation level over the stadium, even room for a restaurant. The development may go into the adjacent softball/Little League fields (owned by the City), and 1,000 parking spaces would also be needed. Nelson says this would be a shining diamond for the school district and a positive asset for the city.
While Measure B came relatively close to funding new money for Burrell Field, Nelson says a private developer has offered to build the $20 million Burrell Field planned sports complex at no charge if he was given 5-6 acres elsewhere in the city for a housing development,. “We’re looking at a joint project where the city would give up land to this developer—I suggested 5 acres around the Blue Dolphin near the Marina—and he would build the new stadium for us,” said Nelson. Rentals to professional teams, which he said Oakland gets all the time, would cover ongoing maintenance costs.
Supporters say they have the statistics to show the plan is feasible financially, adding that a professional football team’s minor league has already contacted them about practicing at the new complex. Nelson says the superintendent has asked supporters of the new complex to wait while the district examines the Oyster Point trade. He says the results of the District’s study should be coming up shortly.
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