City Council Delays Decision on Pro Baseball for Albert Field

Faced with unanswered questions about the long-term effects of professional baseball on the community, the San Rafael City Council delayed its decision to allow a minor league team at .

At Monday night’s meeting, neighbors voiced concerns about noise, parking, traffic, alcohol sales and long-term economic impacts a professional baseball team could have on San Rafael. Council members decided to delay the decision for two to four weeks, so they can work with city staff to answer more of these questions.

“There are those who are unequivocal supporters of baseball. There are those that are adamant in their opposition to pro baseball at Albert Park,” said Steve Patterson, chair of the Federation of San Rafael Neighborhoods. “But there’s a group in the middle who would like to see this work if some of the issues could be mitigated.”

Centerfield Partners LLC, a company that owns and operates minor league baseball teams, .

The proposed team, made up of 22 players and three coaches, would be part of the North American Baseball League and play 45 home games at Albert Field spanning from late May to early September.

Games would begin at 7:15 p.m. on weeknights and Saturdays and 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, so they would not interfere with other activities in the park. Games would end around 10:30 p.m.

The company intends to hire between 26 to 40 full-time and seasonal employees, according to their initial pitch to San Rafael neighborhood associations in April.

Centerfield Partners would also clean up the grandstand’s facade, add approximately 800 more seats to the stadium, replace the backstop screen, build a new dugout, improve the locker rooms and restrooms and heighten the outfield fence.

“We’re not developers. We’re akin to a bowling alley, or a movie theater or a business in downtown San Rafael,” Centerfield Partners CEO Brian Clark said.

The team would give back to the city by volunteering in community programs and drawing tourists to downtown restaurants and businesses, Clark said.

“Baseball at its core is about family,” David Ahren said.

Ahren lives with his family in Corte Madera, and hopes to bring his 12-year-old son, Eric, to San Rafael for games.

“Having a pro baseball team in Marin is putting smiles and joy on kids’ faces and giving them something to do,” said Eric, who was dressed in a large popcorn bag costume at the City Council meeting.

Staff estimate the city’s net annual revenue from games to range from $4,000 to $12,000.

“We’re obviously not in this to make a large profit,” Community Services Director Carlene McCart said. “We feel that there are community benefits that are of value to the city.”

When attending games, fans would require between 320 and 480 parking spaces, according to Clark. Centerfield Partners will use the San Rafael Corporate Center parking lot across from Albert Field to house the cars.

Despite Clark’s promise to keep parking costs below $5 and provide security and parking signs, many Gerstle Park neighbors believe drivers will seek out free parking in their neighborhood next to Albert Field and congest their streets during peak traffic periods. 

“[Gerstle Park residents’] observations have been that they have heard noise and right now experience parking difficulties when there are events that take place there,” said Dotty LeMieux, a lawyer representing a coalition of Gerstle Park and Southern Heights neighbors.

Southern Heights resident Stephanie Noble said she worries that the noise from the sports announcements will be too loud when neighbors “have windows open to let in the hopefully cool summer breezes...”

Others are concerned about alcohol sales and the possibility of inebriated fans wandering through their streets after games.

Centerfield Partners intends to close alcohol sales at the seventh inning and hire security officers who will patrol neighborhoods and crowds during games.

Built in the 1950s, Albert Field has hosted professional, semi-professional, college, high school, little league and recreational baseball leagues and games.

 “We’re not asking to do anything that isn’t done today,” said Clark, who received approximately 750 letters of support for the project.