City Government

Oak Knoll Development Plans to Transform East Oakland and Create 5,000 Jobs and $1 Billion in Economic Activity

Published

8 years ago

July 14, 2017

As city meetings to discuss approvals for the Oak Knoll project near, criticism of the developer by some bay area anti-growth activists have suggested that this project will not be good for our community. City Council President Larry Reid, however, has been telling a very different story and has actively promoted some big numbers when it comes to economic benefits from the Oak Knoll development. He regularly talks about the project generating 5000 jobs or adding $5.2 million annual in recurring revenue to the City. So where do these numbers come and what do they mean for Oakland?

In late 2016 SunCal, the developer of Oak Knoll commissioned Sacramento based consulting firm DPFG to conduct a detailed study of the economic impacts and benefits that the Oak Knoll project would bring to the local economy. DPFG worked closely with Implan, a nationally recognized economic modeling firm.

“The results of our review indicate that Oak Knoll will produce significant economic benefits to the local economy, including impact fee benefits, construction benefits, employment benefits, earnings increases, and tax revenue generation,” said Chris Austin, DPFG Managing Principal.

According to the DPFG report, each year the project is expected to bring $28.5 million of new sales from businesses in Oakland by the new homeowners in the community. The report also revealed the Oak Knoll development would create over 5,000 new jobs over the construction of the project and an estimated $335 million in increased worker earnings.

Austin explained that given the size and cost of the project — the initial development and subsequent residential and non-residential construction — the estimate of 5,000 jobs is very realistic.

“Using our methodology, the cost of a construction project combined with data on the specific geographic area of the project location, produces a very accurate picture of the number of construction jobs that are necessary to implement a project. We have prepared this analysis with Oak Knoll,” said Austin.

The report does more than talk about jobs. The bigger impact is long-term generation of revenue to the City of Oakland and Alameda County and what that money can do for the community.

For example, DPFG claims that the property taxes alone from the development will generate approximately $8.1 million a year that can be directed toward city, county, BART, EBRP the Oakland Unified School District and other agencies. They estimate that the sales from new residential spending will generate $58.9 million.

Chris Austin explained how the project will also create a jobs and revenue domino effect of benefits to the entire city of Oakland and the region. Although the DPFG report was presented to the City, it is public information that should be read by those who criticize new developments. Councilmember Larry Reid argues that the Oak Knoll Project helps to address his community’s need for economic development, jobs and new sources of revenue.

Austin said, “If city leaders value economic development, job creation and new revenue to the community, and if the city wants growth, they should approve projects like Oak Knoll.”

Austin and Reid may be right. The Oak Knoll development is one of a handful of major projects. And, according to the DPFG study, it is projects of this size that can make things happen and ultimately attract other developers and businesses that can provide community benefits.

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Related Topics:District 7 East Oakland fdevelopment housing larry reid Oak Knoll

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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

2 weeks 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

Oakland Post

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.