A plan to build a 25,000-seat Major League Soccer stadium in Sacramento’s downtown railyard is moving forward. A Capital Public Radio report.

The Planning & Design Commission gave environmental approval Monday night to the project, which also includes a new Kaiser medical center, shops and housing. The stadium plan opens almost 200 acres (80+ hectares) of the Sacramento railyard for development.

Commissioner Alan LoFaso praised the plan, but acknowledged some concerns. "The vision we are forwarding to city council tonight is a big jobs vision for the railyard, which means while we’re pushing the envelope on jobs, we’re challenging the issue on housing," says LoFaso.

The Sacramento Unified School District raised concerns it won't have capacity for hundreds of students who could live in the new housing. Other residents worried about noise from the stadium.

The city council is expected to vote on the proposal next month. Building the stadium is contingent on the Sacramento Republic becoming a Major League Soccer team.