A's Ballpark Groundbreaking on the Strip

What Happened at the Groundbreaking

On June 23, 2026, the Athletics gathered on the old Tropicana site to break ground on their future home. The Tropicana, a longtime Strip landmark, was already torn down to clear the land. Now the site sits ready for construction at one of the most visible corners in Las Vegas, near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue.

The Tropicana was one of the oldest resorts on the Strip. It opened in the 1950s and hosted decades of shows, gamblers, and tourists. For a lot of longtime locals, watching it come down was a strange thing to see. It marked the end of one era on the boulevard and the start of another. The site is part of a larger parcel owned by Bally's, and the ballpark takes up just a slice of it. The rest of the land is set aside for a future resort and other development.

The ballpark is expected to seat around 33,000 fans. It will sit on roughly nine acres of the larger Bally's-owned parcel. That is a compact footprint for a Major League park, which is part of why the design has drawn so much attention. Plans call for a covered, climate-controlled stadium, which makes sense in a place where summer afternoons can top 110 degrees.

The cost has climbed to about $2 billion. The original public conversation centered on a $1.5 billion figure, so the jump is significant. Roughly $380 million of the total comes from public money approved by Nevada lawmakers back in 2023. That state and county contribution came through Senate Bill 1, a special session bill that set aside funding for the stadium.

It helps to put that $380 million in plain terms. That is public money, meaning it comes from the pool of tax dollars that the state and Clark County manage. The rest of the near $2 billion price tag falls on the team and its private partners. So taxpayers are covering a piece of the project, not the whole thing. Still, $380 million is a large number, and that is why the funding has been debated in the news, at public meetings, and around dinner tables for years.

The team is targeting a 2028 debut in Las Vegas. Until then, the Athletics are playing their home games in Sacramento, California, as a temporary stop after leaving Oakland. So the groundbreaking marks the halfway point of a long journey, not the finish line. There is still a lot of steel and concrete to raise before the first pitch.

The 2028 timeline is worth keeping in mind. That gives crews a little under two years from the groundbreaking to finish the build. Stadium projects on tight schedules move fast once they get going. For nearby residents, that means the next couple of years will be active. Cranes, trucks, and workers will be a regular sight at the south end of the Strip until the doors open.

Construction site with cranes and steel framework at sunset, representing the early stages of the Las Vegas ballpark build

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

A project this big touches daily life in real ways. The first is jobs. Building a $2 billion stadium takes thousands of construction workers over several years. Once it opens, it needs staff for games, concessions, security, and events. That is steady work for a lot of local families, and it ripples out to nearby restaurants, hotels, and shops.

Think about what a ballpark district means beyond the stadium itself. A Major League venue draws crowds on game days, and those crowds need places to eat, park, and stay. That tends to pull in new bars, restaurants, and small businesses nearby. Over time, a sports anchor can turn a corner of the city into a destination. The south Strip already has hotels and casinos, but a live baseball team gives people a fresh reason to come to that specific spot dozens of times a year.

The second is traffic. The south Strip already gets busy, and adding a 33,000-seat venue means game-day crowds on top of the usual tourist flow. Drivers near Tropicana Avenue, Koval Lane, and the I-15 ramps should expect changes. City and county planners will be working on how people get in and out, including talk of transit links and rideshare zones.

The third is home values. Big anchor projects tend to lift interest in the neighborhoods around them. Areas east of the Strip, near the airport and the university, could see more attention from buyers and investors who want to be close to the action. That can be good for sellers who already own there. It can also push prices up for people trying to buy in.

Paradise is one area worth watching closely. It is the unincorporated community that wraps around much of the Strip, the airport, and the university. The ballpark sits right in that zone. Homes in Paradise and along the east Strip corridor are already close to jobs and entertainment. Add a Major League team, and that closeness becomes an even bigger selling point. When buyers can say they live minutes from a big-league stadium, that story can add appeal to a listing.

The fourth is tourism. Las Vegas already pulls in tens of millions of visitors a year. A baseball team gives those visitors one more reason to book a trip. Fans of visiting teams travel to see their clubs play, and Las Vegas is an easy place to sell as a weekend. More visitors means more spending, which supports the hotels, shops, and workers all across the valley. That tourism engine is a big part of the case supporters make for the project.

Then there is the taxpayer piece. That $380 million in public money is real, and residents have every right to ask whether it was worth it. Supporters say a Major League team brings tourism, national attention, and long-term economic activity. Critics say public dollars should go to schools, roads, or housing instead. Both sides have a point, and the debate is not going away.

This funding debate is one of the reasons the groundbreaking felt so charged. For years, some residents pushed back hard on the idea of using public money for a private sports team. They argued that Clark County has real needs in classrooms, on roads, and in housing. Supporters pushed back just as hard, pointing to the jobs, the visitors, and the national spotlight a team brings. Now that shovels are in the ground, the argument shifts from whether to build it to whether it pays off the way backers promised.

Background and History

The road to this groundbreaking was long and rocky. The Athletics spent years trying and failing to build a new stadium in Oakland, their home for more than half a century. When those efforts stalled, the team looked elsewhere, and Las Vegas emerged as the landing spot.

In 2023, Nevada lawmakers held a special session and passed Senate Bill 1. That bill cleared the way for up to $380 million in public funding through bonds and tax mechanisms tied to the stadium district. It was a contested vote, and plenty of residents spoke out against putting public money toward a private sports franchise.

The Tropicana closed its doors in April 2024 after decades as a Strip fixture. The building was later demolished, ending an era for one of the oldest casinos on the boulevard. Clearing that land was the physical first step toward the ballpark, even before any ceremonial shovels hit the dirt.

Picking the Tropicana site was a strategic move. Most Major League ballparks sit on large plots on the edge of a downtown. This one lands right in the middle of the Strip, on some of the most valuable land in the country. That choice signals that the team wants the ballpark to feel like part of the Strip experience, not a spot you drive out of town to reach. Fans, tourists, and locals can fold a game into a full night on the boulevard.

Cost estimates crept upward along the way. What started as a roughly $1.5 billion project is now closer to $2 billion. Rising construction costs, design upgrades, and the ambition of a fully enclosed Strip stadium all added to the bill. The team and its partners have said they will cover the difference beyond the public share.

The bright lights of the Las Vegas Strip at night, the setting for the new Athletics ballpark

What Happens Next

Construction is the big story from here. With the ceremonial groundbreaking done, crews will move into the heavy work of pouring foundations and raising the frame. Building a covered Major League stadium on a tight footprint is a complex job, so expect steady activity on the site through 2027 and into 2028.

The team is aiming to open in time for the 2028 season. That gives builders a firm deadline, which usually means a fast and busy timeline. Any delays in materials, labor, or permits could push things, so the opening date is worth watching as the months tick by.

The 2028 target also sets a clock for the neighborhoods nearby. As the opening gets closer, expect more news about ticket plans, event schedules, and business openings around the site. Some buyers and investors like to move before a big project finishes, hoping to get in ahead of the crowd. Others wait to see how game days actually feel before making a decision. Both approaches make sense, and the right one depends on your goals and your timeline.

Residents should also watch for updates on parking, transit, and road changes around the site. A venue this size needs a real plan for moving tens of thousands of people. Decisions about nearby traffic patterns, walkways, and connections to the rest of the Strip will shape how much game days affect the surrounding area. Keep an eye on Clark County and City of Las Vegas meeting agendas for those details.

Ryan's Take

As someone who works in Las Vegas real estate every day, I see this ballpark as a long-term signal, not a short-term spike. Major League Baseball choosing our valley says something about where this city is headed. We already have the Raiders and the Golden Knights. Adding the A's cements Las Vegas as a real sports town, and sports towns tend to hold their appeal for buyers over time.

For homeowners near the south Strip, the airport corridor, and the university area, I would pay attention. Anchor projects like this can slowly lift demand in the neighborhoods around them. That does not mean prices jump overnight, but it does mean these areas stay on the radar for investors and buyers who want to be close to the energy. If you own there, you may be sitting on something that grows more valuable as 2028 nears. If you are buying, it is worth thinking a few years ahead.

I also tell clients to be honest about the trade-offs. Living close to a ballpark district is not all upside. Game days bring traffic, noise, and crowds. For some buyers, that energy is exactly what they want. For others, it is a reason to look a little farther out where things stay quiet. Neither choice is wrong. The key is knowing what you are signing up for before you buy, so you are happy with your home on a busy Saturday night as well as a calm Tuesday.

My bigger point is about the direction of the valley. Between the Raiders, the Golden Knights, and now the A's, Las Vegas keeps stacking reasons for people and money to come here. That kind of momentum tends to support a housing market over the long run. It is not a promise, and no single project decides your home value. But when you add a Major League team on the Strip to everything else happening in Clark County, the story of this city keeps getting stronger.

A row of homes in a Las Vegas Valley neighborhood with mountains in the background, the kind of housing near the Strip corridor

What You Can Do

If you want a say in how this project affects your part of the valley, the best move is to stay engaged with local government. Clark County Commission and City of Las Vegas meetings often cover stadium-related traffic, zoning, and infrastructure items. Public comment is open at those meetings, and showing up is the clearest way to make your voice heard on things like road changes and parking.

You can also follow the official channels for updates. The Athletics and local news outlets post construction milestones, timeline changes, and event details as they come. Knowing the schedule helps you plan around game-day traffic and spot opportunities early, whether that is a job, a business, or a home in a rising area.

If you are wondering how the ballpark might affect your specific home value or a neighborhood you are eyeing, that is exactly the kind of question worth talking through. Being close to a major venue can help or complicate a sale depending on the property, and a local read on the market makes a real difference.

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime.