Bay Area

City and Community Work Together to Build New Mosswood Recreation Center

Published

6 years ago

February 20, 2020

Since Mosswood Recreation Center burned down three years ago, neighbors have been organizing and working with the city to build a new center that serves the needs of families and community members at the city park across the street from Kaiser Hospital in North Oakland.

The recreation center at Mosswood Park, builtin 1953, was destroyed by fire in November 2016. Since then, a temporary center has been serving the local community at the park.

The city recently held the fifth of a series of community workshops for the public to give input on what facilities they want to see built. Phase one of the project, which is the only part of the plan that has funding so far, will be to build the new community center, according to Sean Maher, public information officer for the City’s Public Works and Transportation departments.

The new center will contain a multipurpose room, computer labor, spaces for classrooms, meeting and rental, an innovation lab/maker space and a commercial kitchen, as well as a parking lot to serve visitors.

The ultimate vision for the project, which would comprise the center, landscaping, and other park uses, would create “a vibrant destination for civic, cultural, social, educational, and recreational activities…inclusive of a diverse community of users, universally accessible, flexible in use, and thoughtfully designed,” according to the City of Oakland website.

The city already has on hand $10.2 million to build the center — $4 million from Measure KK, the California Natural Resources Agency and insurance settlement funds. “Fundraising will continue over the coming year to fully fund the first phase,” said Maher.

Staff are saying that the construction could begin as early as March 2022, he said.

Future phases will require additional fundraising to pay for the construction of a pool and gym. The full proposal also includes the meadow and creek, baseball field and continuing the existing tennis courts at the park.

The final design plan will be based on input from community members and groups, as well as city leadership, the local Recreation Advisory Council (RAC), Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation and others, said Maher.

“The design process places an emphasis on consensus-building among the stakeholders, while balancing maintenance, operations and budgetary needs for the project,” he said.

Alongside the center, plans for the park also feature as a separate project, the renovation of the old mansion — the Mosswood House. The J. Mora Moss House was built in the 1860s by J. Mora Moss and his wife Julia Wood Moss. The city purchased the building and the park land in the early 1900s.

According to Maher, the city has applied for $5 million in grant funding to renovate the house and is “optimistic about securing that funding. The renovated building will be used for conferences and seminars.

Community outreach for the project is managed by the city and carried out by the design team: building architects, landscape architects and a community engagement consultant.

Feedback and input can be emailed to mosswood@oaklandca.gov. For project information and updates, go to www.oaklandca.gov/projects/mosswood-community-center

The next community workshop will be Saturday, March 7, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Mosswood Recreation Center, 3612 Webster St. in Oakland.

Ken Epstein

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Related Topics:City of Oakland community Ken Epstein Recreation Center

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Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of March 4 – 10, 2026

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5 days ago

March 7, 2026

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Oakland Post: Week of February 25 – March 3, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – February 25 – March 3, 2026

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2 weeks ago

March 1, 2026

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Chase Oakland Community Center Hosts Alley-Oop Accelerator Building Community and Opportunity for Bay Area Entrepreneurs

Over the past three years, the Alley-Oop Accelerator has helped more than 20 Bay Area businesses grow, connect, and gain meaningful exposure. The program combines hands-on training, mentorship, and community-building to help participants navigate the legal, financial, and marketing challenges of small business ownership.

Published

3 weeks ago

February 21, 2026

Oakland Post

Bay Area entrepreneurs attend the Alley-Oop Accelerator, a small business incubation program at Chase Oakland Community Center. Photo by Carla Thomas.

By Carla Thomas

The Golden State Warriors and Chase bank hosted the third annual Alley-Oop Accelerator this month, an empowering eight-week program designed to help Bay Area entrepreneurs bring their visions for business to life.

The initiative kicked off on Feb. 12 at Chase’s Oakland Community Center on Broadway Street, welcoming 15 small business owners who joined a growing network of local innovators working to strengthen the region’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

At its core, the accelerator is designed to create an ecosystem of collaboration, where local entrepreneurs can learn from one another while accessing the resources of a global financial institution.

“This is our third year in a row working with the Golden State Warriors on the Alley-Oop Accelerator,” said Jaime Garcia, executive director of Chase’s Coaching for Impact team for the West Division. “We’ve already had 20-plus businesses graduate from the program, and we have 15 enrolled this year. The biggest thing about the program is really the community that’s built amongst the business owners — plus the exposure they’re able to get through Chase and the Golden State Warriors.”

According to Garcia, several graduates have gone on to receive vendor contracts with the Warriors and have gained broader recognition through collaborations with JPMorgan Chase.

“A lot of what Chase is trying to do,” Garcia added, “is bring businesses together because what they’ve asked for is an ecosystem, a network where they can connect, grow, and thrive organically.”

This year’s Alley-Oop Accelerator reflects that vision through its comprehensive curriculum and emphasis on practical learning. Participants explore the full spectrum of business essentials including financial management, marketing strategy, and legal compliance, while also preparing for real-world experiences such as pop-up market events.

Each entrepreneur benefits from one-on-one mentoring sessions through Chase’s Coaching for Impact program, which provides complimentary, personalized business consulting.

Garcia described the impact this hands-on approach has had on local small business owners. He recalled one candlemaker, who, after participating in the program, was invited to provide candles as gifts at Chase events.

“We were able to help give that business exposure,” he explained. “But then our team also worked with them on how to access capital to buy inventory and manage operations once those orders started coming in. It’s about preparation. When a hiccup happens, are you ready to handle it?”

The Coaching for Impact initiative, which launched in 2020 in just four cities, has since expanded to 46 nationwide.

“Every business is different,” Garcia said. “That’s why personal coaching matters so much. It’s life-changing.”

Participants in the 2026 program will each receive a $2,500 stipend, funding that Garcia said can make an outsized difference. “It’s amazing what some people can do with just $2,500,” he noted. “It sounds small, but it goes a long way when you have a plan for how to use it.”

For Chase and the Warriors, the Alley-Oop Accelerator represents more than an educational initiative, it’s a pathway to empowerment and economic inclusion. The program continues to foster lasting relationships among the entrepreneurs who, as Garcia put it, “build each other up” through shared growth and opportunity.

“Starting a business is never easy, but with the right support, it becomes possible, and even exhilarating,” said Oscar Lopez, the senior business consultant for Chase in Oakland.