Proposal to include affordable housing at Oak Knoll in Oakland moves forward
Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan.
OAKLAND, Calif. (BCN) - Oakland City Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan says a council committee has taken an important step in trying to include affordable housing at the massive Oak Knoll housing project in East Oakland above Interstate Highway 580.
The City Council voted 5-3 last week to approve a project on 187 acres on the former Oak Knoll Naval Hospital land that includes the construction of 918 townhomes and houses, 72,000 square feet of retail property and open space.
However, the new units will be priced at market rates and the project doesn't include any affordable housing.
Kaplan said she and Councilman Larry Reid, who represents the district where the project is located, introduced a rules request at the council's Rules Committee hearing on Thursday that would direct Mayor Libby Schaaf's administration to issue a request for proposals for the development of affordable housing at the Oak Knoll site.
Kaplan said the proposed affordable housing would be located on a 5.4-acre parcel of property at Oak Knoll that's owned by the city and is known as the "Barcelona" parcel.
She said the item will be considered at the Community and Economic Development Committee on Dec. 5.
"It is vital that we expand the development of affordable housing to reduce displacement and maintain the vibrancy and diversity of our community," Kaplan said in a statement.
Kaplan said, "Because we need thousands more affordable housing units than we have, we must expand our horizons to make more publicly-owned parcels throughout our community available for affordable housing development."
She said, "By making the city-owned Barcelona parcel available for affordable housing, we can ensure that Oak Knoll is inclusive of all of our community and expand affordable housing development throughout Oakland."