City Government

City Council Set to Approve 252 Luxury Units on Public E. 12th St. Parcel

Published

8 years ago

March 11, 2016

The Oakland City Council is set to approve an Exclusive Negotiating Agreement for a largely market rate housing project proposed by developer UrbanCore and East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation on the hotly contested city-owned East 12th St. parcel.

The Council listened to three possible proposals at an hours-long public hearing on Feb. 29 in which almost all of the 150 public speakers and community organizations present expressed support for the E12th Coalition’s 100 percent affordable housing proposal.

However, three days later, the council decided in closed session to back UrbanCore’s proposal. The vote on the agreement will take place during the Tuesday, March 15 council meeting.

According to a press release by the city, UrbanCore was selected because its proposal “maximizes housing on the site” and provides 30 percent belowmarket rate units, a majority of which would serve families that earn over $55,000 a year.

The city’s press release also states that the proposal “minimizes the amount of city subsidy required to produce the affordable units” and provides a $4 million payment to the city.

UrbanCore proposes to build 252 market rate units in a 26-story high-rise tower overlooking Lake Merritt and 108 below-market rate units in a separate 8-story mid-rise building that would face East Oakland.

The council’s closed session decision puts it in conflict with widespread sentiment, which holds that the use of scarce public land to build luxury housing will accelerate displacement in a city going through an affordable housing crisis.

“The market will take care of market rate housing,” said Krishna Desai of the E12th Coalition during last week’s public hearing. “They don’t need Oakland’s help. The poor and working class need your help.”

Desai, along with James Vann of the Oakland Tenants Union, said that 73 percent of development projects – or between 15,000 and 20,000 housing units – in the city’s pipeline for the next five years are for market rate developments.

The E12th Coalition’s “People’s Proposal,” which calls for 100 percent affordable housing on the public site, was the most widely supported by the residents who packed the public hearing.

A majority of their below-market rate units would be affordable for families earning between $28,000 and $46,000 annually.

According to a press release by the E12th Coalition, their proposal “has 25 percent more affordable housing than the other proposals, has the highest affordable housing occupancy density, and can house the most working families.”

The E12th Coalition’s proposal features 133 affordable housing units in a 7-story mid-rise.

Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, the affordable housing developer that is working with E12th Coalition on the proposal, would provide a $1 million payment to the city and would require a significantly higher subsidy to produce the affordable housing units than the other two proposals.

Organizations that have endorsed the “People’s Proposal” include SEIU Local 1021, Asians 4 Black Lives, Oakland Education Association, Causa Justa: Just Cause, Oakland Rising, Urban Habitat, Critical Resistance and Public Advocates.

“The City Council has a choice between prioritizing more affordable housing for working families or luxury housing that will accelerate displacement,” said Dunya Alwan, a member of the E12th Coalition.

“Majority market-rate housing is a fundamentally inequitable approach to development on public land that disproportionately benefits developers and high-income individuals,” said Alwan.

Affordable housing advocates are also once again questioning the legality of the City Council’s decision, citing California’s Surplus Lands Act, which requires the prioritization of affordable housing developments on public land.

Last year when the City Council was set to adopt UrbanCore’s earlier proposal for 100 percent market rate housing on the East 12th St. parcel, a leaked legal memo to the City Council from the City Attorney revealed to the public that council members were knowingly violating the Surplus Lands Act, but wanted to go ahead with the agreement anyway.

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Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 24 – 30, 2024

Published

6 days ago

April 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Alameda County

DA Pamela Price Stands by Mom Who Lost Son to Gun Violence in Oakland

Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones

Publisher’s note: Last week, The Post published a photo showing Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price with Carol Jones, whose son, Patrick DeMarco Scott, was gunned down by an unknown assailant in 2018. The photo was too small for readers to see where the women were and what they were doing. Here we show Price and Jones as they complete a walk in memory of Scott. For more information and to contribute, please contact Carol Jones at 510-978-5517 at morefoundation.help@gmail.com. Courtesy photo.

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City Government

Vallejo Welcomes Interim City Manager Beverli Marshall

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10. Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Published

1 week ago

April 22, 2024

Oakland Post

Beverli Marshall began her first day with the City on April 10. ICMA image.

Special to The Post

At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, the Vallejo City Council appointed Beverli Marshall as the interim city manager. Her tenure in the City Manager’s Office began today, Wednesday, April 10.

Mayor Robert McConnell praised Marshall’s extensive background, noting her “wide breadth of experience in many areas that will assist the City and its citizens in understanding the complexity of the many issues that must be solved” in Vallejo.

Current City Manager Michael Malone, whose official departure is slated for April 18, expressed his well wishes. “I wish the City of Vallejo and Interim City Manager Marshall all the best in moving forward on the progress we’ve made to improve service to residents.” Malone expressed his hope that the staff and Council will work closely with ICM Marshall to “ensure success and prosperity for the City.”

According to the Vallejo Sun, Malone stepped into the role of interim city manager in 2021 and became permanent in 2022. Previously, Malone served as the city’s water director and decided to retire from city service e at the end of his contract which is April 18.

“I hope the excellent work of City staff will continue for years to come in Vallejo,” he said. “However, recent developments have led me to this decision to announce my retirement.”

When Malone was appointed, Vallejo was awash in scandals involving the housing division and the police department. A third of the city’s jobs went unfilled during most of his tenure, making for a rocky road for getting things done, the Vallejo Sun reported.

At last night’s council meeting, McConnell explained the selection process, highlighting the council’s confidence in achieving positive outcomes through a collaborative effort, and said this afternoon, “The Council is confident that by working closely together, positive results will be obtained.”

While the search for a permanent city manager is ongoing, an announcement is expected in the coming months.

On behalf of the City Council, Mayor McConnell extended gratitude to the staff, citizen groups, and recruitment firm.

“The Council wishes to thank the staff, the citizens’ group, and the recruitment firm for their diligent work and careful consideration for the selection of what is possibly the most important decision a Council can make on behalf of the betterment of our City,” McConnell said.

The Vallejo Sun contributed to this report.