Broadway & 14th St
Oakland, CA 94612
USA
Calling the OAKLAND community to join as we let our voices be heard and demand affordable housing now. Be here!!
Advocates from the #SupportMalonga coalition, the Black Arts District, Chinatown, and labor allies just finished a 2-hour meeting with Wood Partners, and they disrespected our community by coming with almost no tangible commitments and details on our very specific set of meaningful community requests below.
Even though their investors, CBRE Global, earn $9 billion annually and Wood Partners as a national firm owns over $8 billion in developments across the country, they tried to pretend like they didn’t have the resources to build an inclusive development that can meet the neighborhood’s needs, and absolutely refuse to contribute to the city’s affordable housing goals, even as they stand to make over $70 million in profit on this project.
We really need to turn out at least 20-30 speakers tomorrow to ask the Planning Commission to postpone decision on the project for at least another 2-4 weeks to allow for more serious mediation, and to not approve the development without significant community benefits, so please come if you can!
5:30pm > Community Check-In In Front of City Hall
6:00pm > Sign-up to Speak at City Council Chambers
6:30pm > 226 13th Street Agenda Item Open for Comments
Each speaker gets 2 minutes each, and those who sign-up can cede their time for an additional 1 minute for a speaker who needs more time.
If you can’t make it, please send a quick e-mail to Planning Commissioners sharing why Oakland needs development without displacement:
jmoore.ocpc@gmail.com, nagrajplanning@gmail.com, amandamonchamp@gmail.com, jmyres.oakplanningcommissi
(And CC lailan.huen@gmail.com so we have a copy!)
Community Requests:
1) Target Affordable Housing as designated by the Lake Merritt Specific Plan goals for 15-28% affordable units in all new housing for low and moderate income tenants, including the need for affordable family housing with at least 3 bedrooms.
2) Include affordable retail space on 14th Street for the Black Arts Movement and Business District to have a visible presence, including a black arts collective gallery and shop, space for childcare and nonprofits, and black-owned businesses such as a bookstore and cafe that will help to bring the BAMBD to life.
3) Public open space that is accessible to members of the public and Chinatown and Black Arts Movement Business District communities. The Lake Merritt Specific Plan calls for publicly accessible open space in any development larger than half a block, this one is an entire block, and this development was designed to exclude the public from the open space.
4) A commitment to direct the Public Art Fee to support artists working with the Black Arts Movement Business District, the Malonga Casquelourd Center for the Arts, and Chinatown to honor African-American and Chinese heritage and history in Oakland.
5) Include 25 parking spaces for Malonga and Starlite staff and residents to lease, or make a $50,000 contribution to the Parking Mitigation Fund to mitigate the fact that this development will take away about 225 parking spaces currently accessible to the public for visiting the Malonga Center, an internationally renowned city-run arts institution.
6) Good Neighbor Contributions to Local Projects that will work to prevent displacement of Chinatown and the Black Arts Movement Business District and strengthen the neighborhood and its existing residents.
7) Commitment to a labor agreement that includes 50% local hire, hiring minority contractors, sub-contractors and staff, at living wages.