The Athletics reached another important milestone on the road to seeing their new ballpark in Las Vegas realized.

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority held a special meeting on Thursday and approved lease, non-relocation, development and community benefits agreements.

All four agreements were required before construction on the ballpark could begin. Thursday¡¯s approvals put the A¡¯s on schedule to break ground on the stadium at some point during the second quarter of 2025.

The agreements came on the same day that the A¡¯s and free-agent right-hander Luis Severino agreed to a three-year, $67 million deal -- the largest guaranteed contract in Athletics history. The club is yet to officially announce the Severino deal.

Costs for stadium construction are estimated at $1.75 billion, which is a $250 million increase from the initial estimate of $1.5 billion. A¡¯s owner John Fisher and his family will be responsible for $1.4 billion of the cost. The remaining $350 million will be covered by public funding that was signed into law by Senate Bill 1 in Nevada in 2023.

The cost increase accounts for 70,000 square feet of additional programming, including:

• Fan amenities spaces, including additional club spaces and additional suites and unique GA experiences to provide an exceptional experience across all price points.
• Facilitating a split lower bowl to have seats be as close to the field as possible.
• Operational spaces, including additions to player amenities that are intended to be among the best in baseball.
• Spaces for public and private events beyond baseball games.
• Under seat cooling (a first in an MLB ballpark) for maximum fan comfort, in addition to the design that will maximize natural light while protecting fans from the direct sun with a north orientation and covered roof.
• Additional audio visual investment.
• Acoustic improvements in support of the ballpark being available as a premier concert venue.

More details regarding the stadium¡¯s design will be made public in 2025.