At a Zoom meeting last week between members of the community and representatives of the City of Oakland’s Planning Department, city staff shared zoning maps for the purpose of discussing modifications to industrial zoning regulations.

The maps illustrated parts of the Port of Oakland that are restricted solely for industrial use, meaning that the city does not allow residential or other commercial construction on those properties.

However, community members inadvertently viewed one zoning map that showed Howard Terminal as removed from the city’s industrial land use protections. Staff at the meeting were not able to explain that map and referred questions to others in the Planning Department.

The 55-acre Howard Terminal, which plays an important role in Port of Oakland operations, is the public land targeted by billionaire John Fisher as the site to build his stadium and real estate development project.

“The map of Howard Terminal was just white on the sheet of paper; the hashtag for industrial land use was not on Howard Terminal, and when asked about this, the Planning Department staff at the meeting said this change was not under their purview and referred us to someone else,” said one of the community members who attended the meeting.

Some members of the committee were deeply concerned that this zoning change may have been made without the approval of the City Council or going through the Planning Commission.

As some people said, Mayor Libby Schaaf and City Administrator may support the A’s development project, but they do not have the authority to unilaterally make those zoning changes without going through a public process.

Contacted by the Oakland Post, one member of the City Council said, “The council has not yet approved residential zoning at Howard Terminal. That proposal is expected to come to council in a few months.

“Also, because it is waterfront tidelands, it will need permission from the state lands commission, which doesn’t normally allow housing on tidelands, and that hasn’t happened yet either,” the councilmember said.

The Post contacted the Planning Department for an explanation of the new Howard Terminal zoning map and also contacted the Mayor’s Office and a spokesperson for the City Administrator, seeking an explanation of this map.

By the Post’s publishing deadline, none of the officials had responded to the following questions:

• It appears that changes shown in this zoning map have already been implemented. Is that the case?  If so, what process did they go through for approval?
• If it is no longer industrial property, what uses of the land are now permitted under the zoning of Howard Terminal?
• Who in the administration has already approved this modified zoning map of Howard Terminal?

The Oakland Post’s coverage of local news in Alameda County is supported by the Ethnic Media Sustainability Initiative, a program created by California Black Media and Ethnic Media Services to support community newspapers across California.

Isabelle Price

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