Developer Mark Hall’s plans to bring soccer to the East Bay took a step forward last night when the Concord City Council, by a 4-1 vote, agreed to an initial exclusive negotiating agreement to explore building an 18,000-seat professional soccer stadium in downtown Concord.

In 2017, Hall acquired the territorial rights from the United Soccer League, the second division league for pro soccer in America, to place a team in the East Bay. He dubbed his project “USL East Bay.” Last year he explored options to put multiple soccer teams in Oakland and Concord, including an offer to buy part of the Oakland Coliseum complex. Hall later abandoned his Oakland efforts and centered on Concord.

The proposed stadium would be built on 33 acres of unused property that is jointly owned by the city and BART. It is bordered by Oak, Laguna and Galindo Streets and adjacent to the Concord BART station.

Besides the stadium, Hall is also proposing a hotel, convention center, and offices on the property. He also said the stadium can also double as a concert venue.

According to the East Bay Times, the 18-month-long agreement requires Hall to deposit $100,000 to study the feasibility of the project. If the process moves along on schedule and is approved, possible stadium construction could begin in 2021 and be finished by 2023.

“The East Bay, Concord, Walnut Creek, is really Ground Zero for soccer participation in Northern California,” Hall told KTVU2. “It’s a really strong market here for soccer. I felt that there was more room for soccer than just the San Jose Earthquakes.”

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Douglas Zimmerman covers the “beautiful game” in the Bay Area and around the world. He recently released a photo book documenting the fans of the World Cup that he started in 2002.

Follow on Twitter: @zimpix