Oakland is the Bay Area’s hub of industry and transportation. Workers who build, lift, drive, steer and move goods make up a large percentage of the region’s workforce. The city and the Port of Oakland are proud of our roots as an industrial port city, and we intend to build on that foundation.

More than 84,000 Northern Californians — nearly 20,000 of them in Oakland — have jobs that depend on the Port of Oakland. They are dockworkers, warehouse technicians, airport baggage handlers, truckers, and retail and restaurant workers. The average annual salary of workers at port-related industries is $45,342. Their contributions are central to the port’s estimated $130 billion economic value to the region.

The Board of Port Commissioners is charged with the responsibility to operate and grow the port, and the city helps to plan for responsible growth of the port. We know that job opportunities expand every time we add a flight at Oakland International Airport, add a new commercial attraction at Jack London Square, or lift more cargo with the port’s iconic cranes. Success is not only continuing business as usual; success also requires innovation for efficiency and to capture opportunities.

There is a possible new opportunity for the port and people of Oakland. The Oakland Athletics are proposing a 35,000-seat baseball stadium and a mixed-use development at Jack London Square, as well as repurposing the Oakland Coliseum stadium site. The proposed ballpark project is on a 50-acre cargo terminal site — commonly known as Howard Terminal — that has not been an active terminal for the past six years due to its small size and shallow water depth. The Howard Terminal site is separated from the rest of the active seaport by a private recycling plant. The proposed ballpark would be located adjacent to Jack London Square — the port’s commercial and retail area — and could greatly increase commercial activities and add civic vibrancy to the waterfront area that is Oakland downtown’s gateway to the Pacific Coast, Asia and the world.

The city, the port and the A’s are working together to find solutions where all can succeed. As part of that process, the Board of Port Commissioners and A’s have signed an Exclusive Negotiation Term Sheet. It gives the A’s up to four years to gain public agency approvals for their plan before any real estate deal can be consummated with the port. The city would be central to the approval process in the following areas:

• Environmental Impact Report certification;

• A General Plan amendment; and

• Related land use entitlements.

As we continue to consider the A’s proposal, we consistently ask ourselves: Can baseball and shipping mix? We believe the answer is yes when critical safeguards are included. The ballpark has intriguing potential: increased port visibility, more Jack London Square visitors and a boost for Oakland business. And it’s a new, diversified source of revenue and jobs. We also need to be certain the port’s maritime activity continues to thrive and grow as a hub of industry that provides amazing jobs for Oakland and the Bay Area.

Everyone is doing their homework.

The port is conducting one-on-one meetings, focus groups and large-group summits with maritime industry constituents. The port, the city and the A’s are working with these stakeholders to address issues, for example, investigating a buffer zone between residential and industrial land uses, truck routes and separation of fan traffic. In this way, the port is developing seaport compatibility measures that will become part of any future approvals.

A guiding principle during the conversations between the port, the A’s and the city is to strengthen the port and maritime industry, add to the vibrancy of our waterfront, and create jobs. The final deal will ensure everyone — the city, the port and the A’s — is able to continue to thrive.

Above all, the A’s Howard Terminal proposal is prompting important discussions among the city, the port and stakeholders about better planning and transportation infrastructure to support both the seaport and the neighborhoods surrounding it. The city and the port are committed to coordinated efforts that grow our industrial job base and promote the health and well-being of residents. Though the A’s stadium proposal at Howard Terminal is still in review, we are all proud that everyone has come together to prioritize responsible management of a priceless Oakland asset, the Port of Oakland.

Libby Schaaf is mayor of Oakland; Ces Butner is president of the board of commissioners for the Port of Oakland.