Oakland

Opinion: East Oakland Major Housing Development Coming

Published

9 years ago

May 4, 2017

For 10 years, residents of East Oakland have been hearing promises about how the former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital site will be redeveloped by Irvine California based developer SunCal.

The Post will examine SunCal’s projected economic impact and benefits to the East Oakland community. East Oakland residents want to know if SunCal will commit to African American jobs, construction sub contracts and business opportunities in the commercial and housing phases of the development.

Twenty years ago, the Navy closed this hospital that had served many veterans who had fought for the equal rights of all to get jobs and build businesses. Now we want to know if SunCal’s plan will eviscerate the vicious cycle that has kept able-bodied Black men from being hired in this city.

Council President Larry Reid, who recently teamed up with councilmembers Desley Brooks and Rebecca Kaplan to spearhead an East Oakland resident-based cannabis initiative, will be asked where he stands on jobs and affordable housing opportunities that will flow to Oaklanders, like the former creek that ran through Oak Knoll.

Several other developers have also proposed commercial and residential mixed-use projects downtown and throughout the city with promises of major community benefits and jobs for Oakland residents.

Uber’s much ballyhooed community benefits plan needs a lift since it fell flat after making promises it didn’t keep. But Reid predicts this much needed commercial and housing project is going to be a major victory for his East Oakland constituents. SunCal held some community meetings with the neighboring residents to gather their ideas and suggestions for the plan that was submitted to the City of Oakland.

The Oak Knoll community plan covers 187 acres with 935 homes. According to David Soyka, SunCal’s senior vice president of public affairs, “The project will create thousands of construction jobs, with a strong emphasis on local hire and job training for Oakland residents.”

Soyka said SunCal’s monumental plan calls for restoring the creek, creating walkways, bike and running paths and open public spaces that include a four-mile trail that hooks up to the regional trail system.

They even plan to build Monument Park, which will be dedicated to the Oak Knoll veterans. Before the project is scheduled to be formally presented to the City Council for a vote this summer we will continue to solicit reviews from community-based groups, the faith-based community and minority veterans.

As Oakland is now experiencing fires from damaged and abandoned buildings, Oak Knoll, too, was once the site of vandalized buildings and evidence of homeless encampments. Soyka says they have since “added full time security to prevent further damage to the property,” and he said SunCal will “ensure public safety and protect the surrounding communities.”

If the City Council approves SunCal’s plan, they expect to begin construction in 2018 with homes available in 2019. Larry Reid is also a veteran who has championed Hire Oakland policies, low-income affordable housing and minority business opportunities through the years.

Will SunCal follow his lead and build a monument to his policies by letting the economic benefits, like the former creek, flow to the East Oakland residents?

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Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of September 2 – 8, 2026

Published

4 days ago

September 7, 2026

Oakland Post

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Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

August 29, 2026

Post News Group

Dawna Williams, EOBA executive director speaks to attendees at the Black August Eperience on Aug. 21. Photo courtesy of Carolyn Flynn of EOBA.

By Jana Lang Propel Youth Reporter

Youth-Led Black August Event Brings Past to Present at East Oakland Boxing Association

The East Oakland Boxing Association (EOBA) and Youth Alive! came together on Aug. 21 to share with their community all that Black August means to them.

Held on EOBA’s patio at 816 98th Ave. in Deep East Oakland, the two organizations hosted their second annual Black August Experience, featuring a food tasting, financial literacy and mindfulness workshops, and voter registration with the League of Women Voters Oakland (LWV).

Black August is known as a time to uphold the legacy of prisoners who protested their conditions by fasting, fighting, and educating themselves on the economic and political circumstances that contributed to their incarceration.

According to its website, “EOBA is a multi-service youth and community development hub that goes far beyond the ring. While rooted in the discipline of boxing, for nearly 40 years EOBA has also integrated robust programs in workforce development, food justice, afterschool enrichment, financial literacy, mentorship, and wellness.”.

The mission of Youth Alive! Is to “break the cycle of violence, heal trauma, and uplift a thriving community of leaders, to save lives in Oakland and beyond” by serving “as mentors, youth leaders, counselors, case managers, intervention specialists and violence interrupters,” working “to help violently wounded people heal themselves and their community.”

Through Coro California, another leadership organization serving young people across the state for 80 years, they gained a broader understanding of Black August.

EOBA Executive Director Dawna Williams spoke about how much she learned about Black August from the youth who created it. “I let them educate me,” she said. Instead of talking about prison reform and mass incarceration, Williams and youth interns found that Black August meant so much more. “We would have done a disservice if we had just focused on who the people were and what their situation was…We tried to take their message from back in the day and make it relevant to the young people today. What do they need to know?”

Youth interns created and placed posters around the patio to help participants understand how traditional Black foodways, civic engagement, financial literacy, and the power of education are relevant to Black resistance today.

An EOBA member described Black August with Youth ALIVE! as “a whole vibe. “This year we added the Fun Zone for the kids, because you really cannot go wrong with a Fun Zone. I also loved seeing everyone chillin’ in the outdoor lounge, catching some Vitamin D and just enjoying a Friday evening together.”

The food tasting, a popular event from last year, featured traditional Black foods such as black-eyed peas, johnny cakes, and fried chicken. Led by Williams, the tasting included a talk about how these traditional foods were made and why they are forms of Black resilience.

The “‘Plate of History’ was a favorite of the online writers. “Fun, educational, and did I mention delicious? Our Taste of History cook, Angela Southall, served up some good eats while connecting food to history and culture.”

The writer also commended the “League of Women Voters Oakland for their civic leadership and for getting our young people informed, ready, and registered to vote.”

Overall, it was a “good Friday event in East Oakland,” the writer said.

Upcoming Black August events: Building Opportunities for Self-Sufficiency (BOSS), will host “Black August: The Arc of Liberation” at Oakland City Hall on Sat. Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The websites for East Oakland Boxing Association, Youth Alive! and CORO are sources for this report.

Jana Lang is an Oakland resident, teacher, gardener and poet participating in the Propel News Initiative.