Area Overview

The Priority Development Area (PDA) for the City of Oakland includes the areas along the city’s main commercial and transportation corridors, as well as the areas within a half-mile of the city’s eight BART stations. The PDA encompasses Oakland’s central business district; much of the waterfront, including lands adjacent to the Port of Oakland; and most of the residential neighborhoods south and west of MacArthur Boulevard.

 

The areas included in the PDA are all well served by public transit. In addition to the eight BART stations located throughout the PDA, transit users can take advantage of Amtrak service at Jack London Square and Oakland Coliseum that provides rail connections to destinations in the Central Valley and elsewhere along the West Coast; ferries that provide daily service to San Francisco and Alameda; and AC Transit buses that link riders to locations throughout the East Bay and to San Francisco.

 

Area Vision

The City of Oakland is looking to capitalize on its excellent transit service and encourage an efficient use of land by promoting compact, infill development in transit-rich areas. Encouraging development of healthy communities with a diversity of housing, jobs, activities, services, and transit will help spur economic development and promote transit ridership.

 

The areas adjacent to BART stations would be transformed into transit-oriented villages, with a mix of housing, commercial uses, open space, and community amenities. All of the stations serve as transit hubs that bring together BART, AC transit, and shuttle services. It is envisioned that each transit-oriented district will connect with others by way of common transportation corridors, including San Pablo Avenue, Telegraph Avenue, and International Boulevard, that will be developed with higher-density, commercial, residential, and mixed-use projects. New development along these corridors would be supported by infrastructure improvements, such as enhanced utility services, access improvements, and amenities for pedestrians, bicycles, and buses.

 

Since the early 1990s the City of Oakland has implemented improvements to the neighborhoods around many of the city’s key transit-served areas, including the Coliseum, MacArthur, West Oakland, Fruitvale, and 19^th Street BART Stations. The City is also working on plans for the Lake Merritt BART Station area and the Upper Broadway Corridor. Improvements vary by site but typically include station area improvements; enhanced bicycle and pedestrian access; new residential, retail, and community facilities; and public amenities including replacement parking, and pedestrian and streetscape improvements. Some of the recent activities in these areas include:

 

The Coliseum Transit Village is a mixed-use development that capitalizes on proximity to BART, Amtrak, and AC Transit services. In one portion of the project, the Oakland Housing Authority is developing Lion Creek Crossings—a 20-acre mixed-income housing project to replace the Coliseum Gardens public housing project. To date, 366 affordable rental units in Phases I, II and III have been completed. The entire five-phase project will result in 466 housing units, including 28 for-sale units, two new streets, a city park, and the restoration of a portion of Lion Creek. It is expected to be completed by December 2010.

 

The City is also working with BART to replace the existing Coliseum BART parking lot with approximately 414 units of housing and about 20,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving retail. In addition, new access roads will be created, public streets improved and a 500-space BART replacement parking garage constructed on the west-side of San Leandro Street. The project, together with Lion Creek Crossings Phase IV, was recently awarded $8.5 million in Proposition 1C funding from the California Department of Housing and Community Development. In addition, streetscape improvements and utility undergrounding on San Leandro Street and 66^th Avenue will create better pedestrian linkages between the new development and the area’s transit, schools, and activity centers. The City is also working to improve parks and libraries in the area.

 

The MacArthur Transit Village, adjacent to BART, will include up to 675 high-density multi-family housing units (of which 113 would be below-market-rate units),  up to 34,000 square feet of ground-floor neighborhood serving retail, and 5,000 square feet of community space. Proposed public infrastructure upgrades include a 300-space replacement parking structure for BART, a new public street through the site off of Telegraph Avenue, the renovation of the existing BART entry plaza, a new public plaza adjacent to the retail space across from the BART plaza, improved shuttle circulation with an exclusive drop-off location, and streetscape improvements on 40^th Street adjacent to the station. Construction of the transit village is scheduled to begin in fiscal year 2009-2010.

 

At the West Oakland BART Station, the City of Oakland has identified the capacity for development of at least 575 housing units and 12,000 square feet of commercial space in the immediate area. Mandela Gateway is a mixed-income, mixed-use development across the street from BART that was completed in 2004 and consists of 168 affordable rental units, over 20,000 square feet of commercial space, a town square and outdoor play space, and community space. Mandela Gateway Townhomes, which includes 14 affordable townhomes and condominiums, is under construction. The City is also working with BART to replace its parking lot with a mixed-use residential development. The Redevelopment agency recently purchased the Red Start yeast site for future mixed use development adjacent to BART.

 

These development projects will be complemented by streetscape improvements along 7^th Street to make the area more pedestrian-friendly and to help revitalize the retail district by reconfiguring traffic lanes to calm truck and vehicle traffic. The 7^th Street Streetscape Improvement Plan also calls for new pedestrian and bicycle amenities for this historic thoroughfare, improved transit stops, and enhanced connections from the local neighborhood to the main BART entry and the Seventh Street commercial historic district.  

 

The first phase of the Fruitvale Transit Village, around the Fruitvale BART Station was completed in 2004. It includes 47 apartments, over 30,000 square feet of retail space, 60,000 square feet of office space, a health clinic, a community resource center, and a library. Phase II of Fruitvale Transit Village will include up to 450 mixed-income residential units that will replace a 3.5-acre BART surface parking lot. The new units will feature state-of-the-art green building and energy savings systems.

 

The Uptown Development Project is a mixed-use development located just west of the 19^th Street BART Station. Phase I, currently under construction, includes 665 rental units and 9,000 square feet of retail. In future phases, there will be an 80-unit affordable housing development, a childcare center, and a children’s art museum. Another major development project in the area is the restoration of the Fox Theater, a National Historic Landmark movie theater located on Telegraph Avenue. The Oakland School for the Arts (OSA) will eventually be housed in the wrap-around portion of the renovated theater, along with other amenities including dining and retail.

 

Transit access in the area will be improved with the creation of the Uptown Transit Center along 20^th Street, which will furnish new canopies and amenities, enhance curbsides, and lay new pavement to serve transit riders. It will be a major transfer facility for BART, Transbay bus services, local buses, the International/Telegraph Bus Rapid Transit and the San Pablo Avenue Rapid Bus. The City is also planning streetscape improvements on Telegraph Avenue and Broadway Avenue that will include sidewalk widening, new corner bulb-outs, and installation of pedestrian amenities such as trees, historic street lighting, and benches. These improvements will allow for the reconfiguration and enlargement of the historic Latham Square.

 

This fall, the City of Oakland received Station Area Planning Grants from MTC and ABAG to develop Specific Plans for two key areas of the city: the neighborhood around the Lake Merritt BART Station and the Upper Broadway Corridor. For the Lake Merritt BART area, the City plans to comprehensively re-examine how land use and urban design changes can support the transition of the Lake Merritt station into a more vibrant urban place, with its own identity. The Specific Plan will propose land use changes in the station area that will reduce the real and psychological barriers to increased transit use from both the immediate area and surrounding neighborhoods. It is the goal of this study to unlock the promise if this station area as a new node for transit-oriented development in Oakland that for the first time connects these neighborhoods in one central place.

 

The key goal of the Specific Plan for the Upper Broadway Corridor is to transform the existing Broadway Auto Row into a “lifestyle” shopping destination and reverse the City of Oakland’s long-standing leakage of retail sales. The Specific Plan will be the basis for promoting mixed-use development with comparison goods retail at ground level along major arterials streets, with residential and/or office development on upper floors. The City anticipates that there is the potential for creating over 1 million square feet of retail space and approximately 1,700 housing units. Additional goals include improving the physical appearance of the street and creating a safe, pedestrian-oriented business environment.

 

Given the size and scope of the transit-oriented projects that the City of Oakland has undertaken, there is wide variation in the specific steps and elements that are needed for implementation of these transit villages. In general, the City needs additional assistance with design and/or construction of the mixed use development sites; the station pedestrian plaza improvements; streetscape, bicycle, pedestrian and circulation access improvements; and new streets and utility infrastructure. 

 

In addition, major infrastructure improvements are needed to help connect the transit oriented development along the transportation corridors. Much of the focus of previous efforts has been in the areas directly around transit hubs. The City of Oakland wants to begin broadening that focus to the corridors that connect these hubs.

 

The development in Oakland’s transit villages and along its transportation corridors will add substantial numbers of new, high-density housing units near a variety of public transit options. The scale of these developments helps to create a focal point for community members and to foster a sense of identity for each transit village. The mix of housing, neighborhood- and region-serving stores, and community facilities envisioned for these areas will provide a catalyst for economic revitalization in these neighborhoods. The mix of uses in close proximity to one another allows residents, workers, and shoppers to get around without relying on an automobile. In addition, new streetscape improvements will make these areas more attractive and safe for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users—encouraging more activity and vitality in the transit villages. The City’s emphasis on providing housing choices that are affordable to people at a range of income levels will ensure that existing residents benefit from the new development in their neighborhoods. Residents will also benefit from access to new or renovated parks, libraries, and other neighborhood services. Finally, the City’s support for compact, infill development helps to reduce impacts on regional traffic congestion and energy consumption by accommodating regional population growth and basic goods and services near transit.

 

Community Involvement

The community has always played a critical role in the planning of improvements around the Coliseum, West Oakland, MacArthur and Fruitvale BART Stations. Participants in the Coliseum Transit Village planning process have included the Coliseum BART Station Access Task Force and Bike Task Force, the AC Transit Coliseum Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Coliseum Neighborhood Crime Prevention Council, the Brookfield Homeowners Association, the Coliseum Commerce Center Advisory Committee, the Airport Area Business Association, and the Coliseum Business Alert Group.

 

The MacArthur BART Station Citizen’s Planning Committee (CPC) has been meeting since 1993 to plan for the development of the station area. The Broadway/MacArthur/San Pablo Redevelopment Project Area Committee (PAC has been meeting since 1999 and plays a primary role in the decision-making process for the allocation of redevelopment tax increment resources to the station area improvements at the MacArthur station. The PAC will also fund a significant portion of the specific plan efforts for the Broadway Retail Corridor.

 

In West Oakland, the following public and private constituencies have been represented: West Oakland Project Area Committee, West Oakland Chamber of Commerce, the South Prescott Neighborhood Association, West Oakland Redevelopment Area-Project Area Advisory Committee, and the Bay Area Blues Society.

 

In the Fruitvale district of Oakland, The Unity Council has taken a lead role in working directly with the community, the City, and other agencies to realize project goals.

 

Constituencies have also been organized to support efforts around the Lake Merritt, 19th Street (Uptown) and 12th Street/City Center (Downtown) BART stations.