Port to negotiate with Oakland A’s for ballpark site

The baseball team is considering Howard Terminal as stadium location     Port of Oakland commissioners on Thursday approved exclusive negotiations with the Oakland A’s in the team’s search for a new ballpark.  
   The one-year agreement authorizes talks with the baseball club about the port’s Howard Terminal as a potential stadium site. 
   A’s officials have indicated that the waterfront location is one of two sites they’re considering for a new home. The other is at the Oakland Coliseum, where the team currently plays home games. The negotiating agreement gives the A’s a year to decide if Howard Terminal is suitable, the port said. 
   The port said the A’s would put up a $100,000 deposit as part of the negotiating agreement. The deposit is refundable if negotiations terminate before the year is up. The ballclub would forfeit its deposit if it can’t reach an option agreement for Howard Terminal within a year.
   Howard Terminal, at the edge of the port’s Jack London Square, currently supports Oakland Maritime operations. It’s used for maritime ancillary purposes including long-term vessel berthing, container and truck parking and storage, and longshore labor training and administration.