City Government

Council President Reid Says Oak Knoll Project Will Bring Jobs, Housing And $Millions to City

Published

8 years ago

June 1, 2017

Oak Knoll will contribute $20 Million for affordable housing

The Oakland City Council’s ongoing budget discussion reveals how the loss of redevelopment funding makes it more difficult for the city to generate revenues for jobs and housing services, especially to meet the needs of ever growing homeless population.

Even though Governor Jerry Brown took away Oakland’s flexible redevelopment agency funds after he – while serving as Oakland’s mayor – had utilized that pot of money to assist developers his administration approved of, City Council President Larry Reid still remains optimistic that the former Oak Knoll naval hospital site in his district can be a major opportunity to bring much needed revenues to the city.

Reid’s support for Oak Knoll began 25 years ago when he was the chief of staff to Mayor Elihu Harris, and now he is still touting the potential benefits of developing Oak Knoll.

“Oakland is a city in transition, and Oak Knoll’s commercial and housing plans will be a key part for the revitalization of the Upper East Oakland area,” said Reid.

Reid, who has helped establish residence-based hiring and entrepreneurial policies for the city’s formerly incarcerated and minority populations, claims Oak Knoll can change East Oakland for a lifetime.

Larry Reid

“This city has passed equity policies that are designed to give everyone an opportunity. This project brings community benefits that can help us meet that challenge.”

Reid cites a recent Economic Benefits Report that outlines how the Irvine-based SunCal developer could bring an estimated $54.4 million recurring revenues to the City of Oakland and create a total of more than 5,000 jobs, including the hiring of 2,500 people during the construction phases.
Reid, who constantly fights for East Oakland inclusion, says, “Oak Knoll is the second largest project in Oakland.”

“Oak Knoll can be a super catalyst to all the projects in my district,” he says. “And its success will also spill over into communities below the 580 Freeway.”

The Oak Knoll plan will include 935 new homes, 72,000 square feet of commercial retail space and a publicly accessible community facility that will provide 76 acres of public parks, open spaces and a memorial honoring those who served and were treated at the Oak Knoll Naval Hospital.
“The one-time infusion of cash for the city will come in the form of millions of dollars in straight up fees to the city, and millions of dollars more to the Oakland Unified School District,” said Reid.

“Alameda County stands to benefit to the tune of nearly $10 million in business sales revenue plus $1.3 million in property taxes,” he said.

“I ran for re-election to make sure that Oak Knoll actually happened, and because I made a promise to the residents who live in that neighborhood that we would get this project done by working together, I believe that finally we are now on our way for approval this year.”

Reid said an analysis of the SunCal project shows projected revenues of $29.3 million in spending by new residents with $3.8 million going to the city general fund from sales and property taxes, licenses and permits.

And $4.6 million is expected to also go to other local agencies such as the Oakland Unified School District, BART and East Bay Regional Parks. In addition, $20 million will be paid by SunCal to the city for affordable housing.

“Further, the one-time revenues related to construction activity will bring $875 million for the local economy through direct and indirect multiplier investment effects, while it contributes millions in fees to East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD),” he said.

Another important aspect of the project is that Oak Knoll will contribute $20 million to the City of Oakland to be used to help meet its affordable housing goals. “Oakland is changing, and we must be the kind of city that allows individuals to work in, live in and raise their children in a safe environment,” he said.

“If we don’t do this project, the vacant site will continue to deteriorate, be an ongoing public safety hazard and will be just one more drain on our scarce community resources,” he said.

“I won’t let that happen.”

The project is currently up for city council approval, and council action is expected in July.

(Next: Post analyzes SunCal’s economic assumptions of its direct and indirect multiplier effect on Oakland’s economy.)

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Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 21 – 27, 2025

Published

5 days ago

May 25, 2025

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IN MEMORIAM: Nate Holden, State Senator and Longtime Los Angeles Councilmember, Dies at 95

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.” Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Published

1 week ago

May 19, 2025

Oakland Post

Former Los Angeles Councilmember and California State Sen. Nate Holden. File photo.

By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Nathaniel “Nate” Holden, a prominent figure in the city’s politics, passed away at the age of 95, his family confirmed on May 7.

Holden, who represented South Los Angeles for 16 years on the City Council and served one term in the California State Senate, was widely regarded as a forceful advocate for his community.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn described Holden as “a lion” in the State Senate and a force to be reckoned with on the Los Angeles City Council.”

Hahn added that she learned a lot working with Holden when she was a new councilmember.

Holden’s journey to political prominence began in the segregated South, where he was born in Macon, Georgia, in 1929. He often recalled the childhood moment when he first heard the governor of Georgia vowing to continue suppressing Black people.

“Doing the best you can for the people. Law and order. Make sure that people’s communities are safe. I did it all,” said Holden, reflecting on his legacy.

Holden is survived by his sons, including former California Assemblymember Chris Holden, who represented a district in Southern California that includes Pasadena and Altadena in Los Angeles County and cities in San Bernardino County.

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Oakland Hosts Town Hall Addressing Lead Hazards in City Housing

According to the city, there are 22,000 households in need of services for lead issues, most in predominantly low-income or Black and Latino neighborhoods, but only 550 to 600 homes are addressed every year. The city is hoping to use part of the multimillion-dollar settlement to increase the number of households served each year.

Published

2 weeks ago

May 18, 2025

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iStock.

By Magaly Muñoz

The City of Oakland’s Housing and Community Development Department hosted a town hall in the Fruitvale to discuss the efforts being undertaken to remove lead primarily found in housing in East and West Oakland.

In 2021, the city was awarded $14 million out of a $24 million legal settlement from a lawsuit against paint distributors for selling lead-based paint that has affected hundreds of families in Oakland and Alameda County. The funding is intended to be used for lead poisoning reduction and prevention services in paint only, not water or other sources as has been found recently in schools across the city.

The settlement can be used for developing or enhancing programs that abate lead-based paint, providing services to individuals, particularly exposed children, educating the public about hazards caused by lead paint, and covering attorney’s fees incurred in pursuing litigation.

Most of the homes affected were built prior to 1978, and 12,000 of these homes are considered to be at high risk for lead poisoning.

City councilmember Noel Gallo, who represents a few of the lead-affected Census tracts, said the majority of the poisoned kids and families are coming directly from neighborhoods like the Fruitvale.

“When you look at the [kids being admitted] at the children’s hospital, they’re coming from this community,” Gallo said at the town hall.

In order to eventually rid the highest impacted homes of lead poisoning, the city intends to create programs and activities such as lead-based paint inspections and assessments, full abatement designed to permanently eliminate lead-based paint, or partial abatement for repairs, painting, and specialized cleaning meant for temporary reduction of hazards.

In feedback for what the city could implement in their programming, residents in attendance of the event said they want more accessibility to resources, like blood testing, and information from officials about lead poisoning symptoms, hotlines for assistance, and updates on the reduction of lead in their communities.

Attendees also asked how they’d know where they are on the prioritization list and what would be done to address lead in the water found at several school sites in Oakland last year.

City staff said there will be a follow-up event to gather more community input for programming in August, with finalizations happening in the fall and a pilot launch in early 2026.