Activism

City Blocks Development Saying it Does Not Fit Oakland’s General Zoning Plan

The community-wide demand to save HNU is growing stronger and more organized. A new coalition, “Reclaim Holy Names,” was scheduled to hold an online town hall meeting “to hear from HNU students, faculty alumni, as well as elected leaders about the impact of the school’s closure – and what needs to happen to stop the HNU Board or Trustees from doing more harm to the HNU community.”

Published

3 years ago

April 26, 2023

Oakland Post

Aerial shot of Holy Names University campus. File photo.

By Ken Epstein

Prospects are looking better for saving the Holy Names University campus as a center for higher education in Oakland.

At one point, it seemed highly likely that HNU’s leaders would sell the nearly 60-acre campus to a developer of high-end residential housing when the university closes in May. They clearly stated their goal was to earn top dollar for the property.

The HNU Board of Trustees told the public they had reached out to other post-secondary institutions but found no interest in coming to Oakland. They also said that they were saddled with $50 million debt, and their creditor was aggressively forcing them into the sale.

Now, however, several educational institutions have come forward with proposals to establish programs at the site; HNU’s creditor says it is committed to work with Oakland to help save the property as a home for higher education; and students, faculty, community, and city leaders are mobilizing to save the campus.

Additionally, HNU’s plan for exclusive housing in the Oakland Hills has hit a roadblock with the City of Oakland, when city staff recently told the university that the city’s general plan allowed for educational institutions, not residential development at the site, especially considering the fire danger in the hills, the Oakland Post learned this week.

According to a letter from the city, the HNU property is not zoned for residential development.

“Given the ‘Institutional’ General Plan designation, single-family and multifamily housing projects would not be allowed at the Campus Property unless the City Council approved a General Plan Amendment for the Campus Property to remove the ‘Institutional’ designation in favor of a General Plan designation permitting a housing project,” the letter said.

There also appears to be significant interest in developing institutional uses for the site. Several educational institutions have expressed interest in creating “a comprehensive education campus,” at HNU, including:

Undergraduate programs run by Lincoln University in partnership with HBCUs;
Graduate and credential programs for teachers run by Alder GSE in partnership with HBCUs;
Raskob School for neurodiverse students operated by Alameda County Office of Education;
Yu Ming Charter School, which operates a PK-8, Mandarin bilingual immersion school;
•East Bay Innovation Academy, a project-based middle and secondary charter school.

Creating opportunities for those who want to retain educational opportunities in Oakland, HNU’s creditor, Preston Hollow Community Capital (PHCC), says it is strongly committed to exploring ways to preserve the campus rather than foreclosing on the property.

In a letter, dated April 18, 2023, to Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, PHCC, wrote:

“From the outset of HNU’s announcement that it would cease operations at the end of the Spring 2023 semester, PHCC has consistently maintained its position that transferring the campus to an educational user represented the ‘highest and best’ recovery scenario for HNU, that PHCC was willing to help facilitate a successful marketing and sales process targeted exclusively at educational users (colleges, universities, charter schools, etc.), and that it is not PHCC’s goal to take title to the property through foreclosure unless forced to do so.”

“PHCC has always been willing to temporarily postpone and/or forbear from enforcing its contractual foreclosure remedies with respect to the HNU campus to the extent HNU was able to produce a contract with one or more financially viable educational institutions interested in acquiring the subject property,” the letter said.

Further, the community-wide demand to save HNU is growing stronger and more organized.

A new coalition, “Reclaim Holy Names,” was scheduled to hold an online town hall meeting Thursday evening “to hear from HNU students, faculty alumni, as well as elected leaders about the impact of the school’s closure – and what needs to happen to stop the HNU Board or Trustees from doing more harm to the HNU community.”

Those involved in the “reclaim” town hall included SEIU 1021, Oakland Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan, City Councilmember Carroll Fife, and members of the HNU community.

Oakland Post

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Activism

Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

1 week ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.