By Ken Epstein

Supporters of Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, a revered downtown entertainment venue, and its owner, highly respected Oakland leader and community advocate Geoffrey Pete, want to block city approval for a 27-story office tower adjacent to Geoffrey’s and in the midst of Oakland’s Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAM).

Protesters came out in force at a recent Planning Commission meeting, taking the members to task for considering the proposal by out-of-town developer Tidewater Capital.

Some of the issues at stake were laid out at the meeting by Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley, one of 26 speakers at the April 5 public hearing.

“The development (Tidewater) is proposing a direct threat to Geoffrey’s Inner Circle. The Black Arts Movement and Business District needs parking, galleries, a coffee shop, signage to commemorate Black Oaklanders – it needs all those things,” Miley said.

“Geoffrey’s used to be the Athenian Niles Club, where the Republican white male establishment would meet. African Americans were excluded, there was racial bias,” Miley continued. “Eventually Geoffrey purchased that place. Geoffrey’s means a lot to us who live in Oakland and have been here for a long, long time. It’s symbolic.”

Tidewater Capital has submitted two alternate development proposals – one for an office tower and another for a residential tower– to the Planning Commission to build on the parking lot at 1431 Franklin St., directly behind Geoffrey’s at 410 14^th St.

The proposed 39-story residential building was approved by the Planning Commission in February and but was held up awaiting an appeal hearing at City Council. The other proposal for the 27-story office tower was heard by commissioners on April 5, but the final decision was postponed until May 17.

During discussion, planning commissioners acknowledged they went through the entire design review process for the building without knowing that the BAM district existed. The district was created in 2016 by City Council resolution but never implemented by city staff.

Oakland filmmaker Cheryl Fabio told commissioners she made a documentary on local blues music venues. “(Geoffrey’s) is the only surviving establishment. You’re killing off the last piece of it,” she said.

“There is a conversation here about the good of Oakland, and there’s a conversation that you’re putting a man out of business.”

Kitty Epstein, professor of urban studies and education and a 30-year Oakland resident, said, “This entire proposal and discussion by the Planning Commission is so full of racism that it’s embarrassing to me as a white person to watch this happen in this city.”

Citing racial bias in this case, Epstein pointed to the composition of the Planning Commission, which is not diverse; adding that only 9% of construction work in Oakland goes to African Americans; and that the “entire process has completely ignored that there’s a Black Arts district in that area. So unimportant was it to you and the Planning Department that you didn’t even bother to notice it until a month ago. And you have not put it into your plans yet.”

Mr. Pete asked the commission to postpone its decision. “We request a continuance of this meeting due to the pending appeal on the previous residential (development) approval for this site.  (I) should not be penalized by having to file a second appeal on the very same grounds, while the first appeal is pending.”

Further, he said, “The Planning Commission erroneously approved a residential project despite admittedly conducting an improper review process. They ignored their own procedures with respect to review of projects within the BAM cultural district.”

He added, “The commission should not approve any other projects within the (BAM) district until they officially map BAM’s boundaries.”

Pete said the proposed skyscraper would throw his building into shadow, threaten the fire escape behind his building, and remove the parking lot his business needs for customers. In addition, he said, the vibrations from the construction of the project could jeopardize physical stability of his building.

In his remarks, construction director of Tidewater Capital, emphasized that his 10-year-old Bay Area company, which also owns and manages Eastmont Town Center in East Oakland, has conducted extensive community engagement.

“(We) try to take a “hands-on, collaborative approach to create spaces that preserve the character of the neighborhood while boosting economic activity and generating benefits for all stakeholders,” he said.

In their discussion, planning commissioners voted to postpone the decision on the project to give Mr. Pete time to reach an agreement with Tidewater. However, they expressed little interest in considering speakers’ suggestions to reject the project or postpone a decision until the city’s BAM district in downtown Oakland was implemented and funded.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post