With a deadline looming for Floyd Kephart's stadium proposal in Oakland, the organization he is trying to come to an accord with is prepared to move on to backup plans in an attempt to keep the Raiders in town.
"If a deal with Floyd Kephart doesn't happen, we are open to other options," said Scott McKibben, the executive director of Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority. "And we are prepared to do quickly if that occurs."
McKibben declined to discuss any potential backup plan or identify any potential options, but he expressed confidence there would be options beyond the Kephart plan if it doesn't materialize. Kephart, a San Diego real estate developer, has until June 21 to provide the coliseum authority and the Raiders proof that he has made progress with his proposed new stadium in Oakland. The project has a plan for major redevelopment with office, retail and housing.
The Raiders want to get a deal in Oakland finalized by the end of this year. McKibben said that's why it is vital for everyone involved to be prepared to move on quickly if the Kephart project fails to get off the ground.
"We need to get something done sooner than later," McKibben said.
Kephart has been in contact with the Raiders and McKibben and there are plans for further meetings in the coming weeks. The Raiders and the San Diego Chargers have teamed for a proposed new stadium in Carson, California, should neither team get a deal done with their current cites by the end of this year. Oakland owner Mark Davis has said several times that his wish is to get a deal done with Oakland, but he has to see progress there.
"We've been working on a stadium in Oakland for the past at least six years, on a very strong basis," Davis told ESPN's John Clayton last week. "We definitely want to keep the Raiders in Oakland, if possible, and have made as much as we can trying with the city, the county and the Oakland A's and the Raiders, trying to work something out, to figure it out, how we can get it done."