Last week the SF Housing Action Coalition (SFHAC) invited Rachel Flynn, Oakland’s Director of Planning and Building, to talk about Oakland’s approach to housing and land use policy. So, does our East Bay neighbor have some good ideas for the West Bay? It certainly sounds like it.
Today, SFGate reported that Oakland's Uptown neighborhood was named America's greatest place by the American Planning Association, which can be largely credited to smart urban planning projects that have increased the area's reputation, walkability, and livability. So many more people live/work in the neighborhood, and people who don't come to visit for the countless places to eat, drink, and be entertained in Uptown.
Just like SF, Oakland overall has grown quickly over the past decade: Its population increased by 15,000 residents since 2004, though in typical Bay Area fashion the city has fallen short of demand with only 3,000 housing units added.
But now Oakland has 7,500 units in the development pipeline, and almost 90 percent of the 1,000-plus homes built between 2013 and 2014 were already “affordable” under income standards. A sizable percentage of homes currently in the pipeline are similarly affordable (even when considered at local market rates).
Oakland’s got more BART stations than any other city in the Bay Area, and they’re capitalizing on that. The city’s policy has focused on building housing close to transit infrastructure. It’s not just convenient: mixed-use, transit focused housing is good policy.
Oakland has several ambitious development plans in the works. One is the more than $1 billion Brooklyn Basin project which will provide 3,000 units of housing development near Jack London Square within a fast-tracked three to four years. Another is the Coliseum City project, where city officials hope to have a sports and entertainment district, with retail stores and hotels, all on the site of the existing Coliseum complex. There could be three new sports venues at the site, from a new football stadium to a new baseball park and a new arena for basketball and other events.
With far less neighborhood pushback than we'd expect in Baghdad by the Bay, Oaktown tallied 3,000 vacant lots and came up with 5-area plans as a result. There's no discretionary review, and get this: no California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) appeals for projects built within area plans!
Neighborhood opposition to development in Oakland makes SF look like the NIMBY capital of the world. Flynn thinks this is due to Oakland's lack of “choke points” in their public process like the ones that delay projects in San Francisco.
So with little community opposition, no CEQA appeals, and plenty of interest, Oakland seems prime for development. Why aren’t housing developers fleeing SF to build in Oakland? Well, here, development is currently about twice as lucrative as it is in Oakland (by square foot). But, especially with good policy, that could change. Soon developers might be flocking to Oakland as fast as your friends are.
[H/t: SFHAC, SFGate; photo via Flickr user Staxnet]
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