Oakland Planning and Development Corporation has recently learned that Walnut Capital is seeking to re-zone a substantial chunk of Central and South Oakland – including a city-owned park – to make room for its own new development, the nature of which is not clear.
What is clear is that the development would demolish three large and dense city blocks, including homes and apartment buildings and trees that have been part of the residential fabric here for more than 100 years.
It would remove one of the few remaining green spaces in Central Oakland. And it would do this while ignoring an ongoing public planning process and clearly established neighborhood priorities. To put it mildly, this is not how planning should be done. Zoning changes of this magnitude require a robust public process. It is unfair to the neighborhood to push for a boutique zone that ignores neighborhood needs for the benefit of a single developer.
Oakland stakeholders – including residents, elected officials, and representatives from Oakland’s institutions – have been working with the Department of City Planning for the past two years through the Oakland Plan process to articulate community needs and priorities, and that process is far from finished. What we have heard so far is that Oakland wants new housing options that are affordable, accessible, welcoming and inclusive. Oakland wants to preserve and enhance its neighborhood fabric, grow its tree canopy, and help its public spaces to thrive.
Oakland residents need economic opportunities – not just jobs, but the chance to put down roots, build intergenerational wealth, and to benefit from neighborhood investment. Walnut Capital’s proposal includes none of that.