CITY OF OAKLAND
CITY HALL • 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA • 94612
LoveLife
REBECCA KAPLAN
Vice Mayor
District At Large
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA
CARROLL FIFE
Councilmember
District 3
Finance & Management Committee
January 10, 2022
File # 21-0957
1 Date: January 10, 2022
To: Members of City Council and Members of the Public
From: Vice Mayor Kaplan and Councilmember Fife
Re: Resolution To Issue A Request For Qualifications For Those Interested In Developing A Mixed Use Development, Including Ground Floor Activation Which Improves The Vitality Of The Pedestrian Corridor, That Is More Than One Acre In Area, That Includes Not Less Than 600 Housing Units, And That Restricts At Least One-Third Of The Residential Units To Lower Income Households, As Defined In Section 50079.5 And 50053 Of The Health And Safety Code, For A Minimum of 55 Years, On The City -Owned Parcel Bounded By 7th Street, Broadway, Washington Street, And 6th Street
Dear Colleagues on the City Council and Members of the Public, O
akland faces multiple extraordinary challenges when it comes to meeting its housing needs, including but not limited to the COVID-19 pandemic, gentrification and displacement, high rates of unemployment, and homelessness. In addition, there is als o a great need for commercial development space for retail stores, restaurants, shopping centers, and business offices. To assist in providing much needed housing and retail space, and activating Downtown Oakland, this resolution would issue a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to develop the land where the City’s current Police Administration Building (PAB) resides.
The PAB, located at 455 7th Street, was built in 1962, and consists of a nine-story tower, six-story mid-rise building, two-story Sally port, and a single level basement. The building has a total floor area of 274,200 gross square feet (GSF), and houses a number of essential city services such as the Office of the Chief, Office of Inspector General, Crime Lab, Crime Investigation, Field Operations, Academy and Training, Records, Property and Evidence, Identification Unit, and administrative services.
Despite attempts to renovate the PAB since its construction in the 1960s, as it stands, it is in grave need of capital improvements or replacement i n order to meet building code standards. For example, in 2006, using Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Measure I Bond funding, the City tried to upgrade the PAB to meet Uniform Building Code Seismic Force Level standards, but the full retrofit was not completed due to budgetary constraints.
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n addition, according to the 2017 feasibility study conducted by Sha h Kawasaki Architects, in their assessment of the PAB’s condition, they found the building’s envelope, HVAC system, Date: January 10, 2022
To: Members of City Council and Members of the Public
From: Vice Mayor Kaplan and Councilmember Fife
Re: A RFQ For Parcel Bounded By 7th St., Broadway, Washington St, And 6th St.
Finance & Management Committee
January 10, 2022
File # 21-0957
2 lighting, electrical and plumbing, ADA compliance, fire protection, and elevators were all in need of major capital improvements or replacement.
It is clear the PAB has not undergone the needed renovations to ensure the department is housed in a state-of-the-art facility which meets necessary safety standards.
At the same time, the City is in serious need for housing and commercial space. F rom the City’s Housing Element Annual Progress Report for 2020, Oakland has met only 43% of its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) goals for very low -income housing, 25% of its RHNA goals for low-income housing, 3% of its RHNA goals for moderate inco me housing, and 22% of its overall affordable housing goals.
The parcel that the PAB currently occupies is ideally located directly off of the 880 freeway, and could be used to activate the Downtown Oakland pedestrian corridor. In addition, it is in close proximity to BART (approximately a 7- minute walk to the Oakland 12th Street Station), to amenities in Old Oakland and Chinatown, and to employment centers.
In conjunction with the City’s effort to develop a multi-departmental public service center in East Oakland, this resolution directs the City Administrator to issue a request for qualifications to develop a mixed- use development, including ground floor acti vation, with both affordable and market rate housing units on the 455 7th Street parcel. The resolution also directs the Administrator to make a concerted effort to ensure contracts are awarded with an equity framework so that small, BIPOC, and women -owned firms are able to participate in the development of this project, designed and planned in a manner to meet community needs.