City Government
Oakland’s Foothill-Seminary Area Will Get a Makeover
The Foothill Seminary commercial corridor is going to get a facelift.
In 2004, District 6 Councilmember Desley Brooks, in partnership with David Glover of OCCUR and the City of Oakland, applied for a Metropolitan Transportation Committee planning grant to address traffic and pedestrian safety issues, as well as neighborhood aesthetics in the Foothill Seminary area.
The grant application was successful on the first submission and shortly thereafter the partners began the planning process for the Foothill Seminary Streetscape project.
The planning process took approximately a year, which included numerous neighborhood meetings, focus groups and charrettes. Traffic engineers studied ideas for traffic mitigations. Architects designed a streetscape with new street furniture, community gathering spaces, trees, widened sidewalks, and improved parking,
After the planning process was complete, Brooks successfully advocated for funding to implement the project, eventually securing $4.3 million to implement the project.
Despite being fully funded, the project was put on hold for last two years as the state dissolved Redevelopment Agencies across the state. Two weeks ago, the state gave the City of Oakland final approval on the project’s Long Range Property Management plan and compensation agreement.
This approval has paved the way for the Foothill Seminary Streetscape to finally be implemented.
Construction will begin the week of June 16 and end in 2015.
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Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 26 – December 2, 2025
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Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 19 – 25, 2025
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IN MEMORIAM: William ‘Bill’ Patterson, 94
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
William “Bill” Patterson, 94, of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on October 21, 2025, at his home in Oakland, CA. He was born on May 19, 1931, to Marie Childress Patterson and William Benjamin Patterson in Little Rock, Arkansas. He graduated from Dunbar High School and traveled to Oakland, California, in 1948. William Patterson graduated from San Francisco State University, earning both graduate and undergraduate degrees. He married Euradell “Dell” Patterson in 1961. Bill lovingly took care of his wife, Dell, until she died in 2020.
Bill devoted his life to public service and education. In 1971, he became the founding director for the Peralta Community College Foundation, he also became an administrator for Oakland Parks and Recreation overseeing 23 recreation centers, the Oakland Zoo, Children’s Fairyland, Lake Merritt, and the Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center.
He served on the boards of Oakland’s Urban Strategies Council, the Oakland Public Ethics Commission, and the Oakland Workforce Development Board.
He was a three-term president of the Oakland branch of the NAACP.
Bill was initiated in the Gamma Alpha chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.
In 1997 Bill was appointed to the East Bay Utility District Board of Directors. William Patterson was the first African American Board President and served the board for 27 years.
Bill’s impact reached far beyond his various important and impactful positions.
Bill mentored politicians, athletes and young people. Among those he mentored and advised are legends Joe Morgan, Bill Russell, Frank Robinson, Curt Flood, and Lionel Wilson to name a few.
He is survived by his son, William David Patterson, and one sister, Sarah Ann Strickland, and a host of other family members and friends.
A celebration of life service will take place at Henry J. Kaiser Convention Center (Calvin Simmons Theater) on November 21, 2025, at 10 AM.
His services are being livestreamed at: https://www.facebook.com/events/1250167107131991/
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Euradell and William Patterson scholarship fund TBA.
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