Bay Area

Nearly $8 Billion Needed to Complete Outstanding Affordable Housing Projects Across Bay Area

Nearly 33,000 affordable housing units are currently stuck in predevelopment in the Bay Area and need some $7.6 billion to complete, according to new research from housing nonprofit Enterprise Community Partners and the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority.

Published

3 years ago

February 21, 2023

Oakland Post

Construction work progresses at 401 S. El Dorado St. in Stockton, Calif., on Nov. 23, 2022. A groundbreaking ceremony at the site in June 2022 launched the construction of at least 30 affordable housing units for unhoused people living with mental illness. (Harika Maddala/ Bay City News / Catchlight Local)

By Eli Walsh
Bay City News Foundation

A total of 395 affordable housing projects are in various stages of predevelopment, needing additional public or private funding to be completed, according to research from the two organizations, which was organized into the Bay Area Affordable Housing Pipeline database.

Of those projects, 282 are new construction projects while 67 are some form of renovation or rehabilitation of an existing building.

The researchers also found that Alameda County has the highest number of projects in development at 106, but Santa Clara County leads the region in total units in development with 10,829.

State officials have determined the Bay Area needs roughly 180,000 new housing units by 2031 to meet the total need housing need across the region.

“The good news is that the sheer size of the predevelopment pipeline gives Bay Area cities, towns and counties a good running start toward meeting the affordable housing production challenge laid down by the state,” BAHFA Director Kate Hartley said in a statement.

Affordable housing is generally funded by various bonds and funding measures, with local, state and federal funding filling in the gaps to cover the costs of development.

In lieu of waiting for state or federal funds to cover the $7.6 billion gap, officials with the regional planning agency the Metropolitan Transportation Commission have proposed placing a bond measure on the 2024 ballot that would provide between $10 billion and $20 billion in funding exclusively for affordable housing.

State lawmakers authorized the BAHFA to place a parcel tax or bond measure before voters in an effort to raise funding for affordable housing when the legislature created the authority in 2019.

The authority is jointly governed by the MTC and the Association of Bay Area Governments.

“The Bay Area faces a critical lack of affordable homes, and existing local, state and federal resources are oversubscribed,” said Justine Marcus, the senior state and local policy director for Enterprise Community Partners.

“We need new solutions to ensure every planned housing development gets built and that homes that are currently affordable remain affordable for generations to come,” she said.

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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

Published

2 days ago

March 1, 2026

Oakland Post

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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

1 week 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.