CITY OF OAKLAND
CITY HALL • 1 FRANK H. OGAWA PLAZA • OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA 94612
City Council
May 3, 2022
1 Date: April 21, 2022
To: Members of City Council and Members of the Public
From: Councilmember Fife
Re: Homeless Intervention At The North Gateway Parcel
Dear Colleagues and Members of the Public,
The City of Oakland is in the middle of an unprecedented homelessness crisis, which has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2019 Point-In-Time Count report, found that Oakland’s homeless population—with more than 4,000 people on the streets—accounts for nearly half of Alameda County’s unhoused population . W ith the rise in homelessness, the number of encampments and tent communities around the City, particularly in Council District 3, ha ve increased exponentially and a s the level of need continues to increase, the number of housing interventions have not kept pace.
This resolution seeks to match the scale of the crisis by directing the City Administrator to study the feasibility of establishing a temporary homeless intervention, to house at least 1,000 residents, at the North Gateway parcel located at the former Oakland Army Base, including a fiscal analysis, environmental assessment, and associated timelines for standing up the site. The resolution also directs the City Administrator to collaborate with the appropriate state agencies and representatives to meet regulatory standards and secure the necessary funds for the development of the site and report back to council with recommendations no later than the first Council meeting in June 2022.
The North Gateway parcel, approximately 22 acres of public land , has the potential to serve as a large-scale temporary homeless intervention site. In October 2020, the City Council approved Resolution No. 88341 C.M.S., adopting the Encampment Management Policy and as part of this legislation, Council gave direction to administration to “immediately work to establish part of the currently unused acreage of the Army Base Site as a place to be for homeless residents living in high sensitivity areas of District 3.” However, this Council direction has yet to be implemented.
The City Administration has shared information regarding deed restrictions on the parcel that prohibit residential use without approval from the California Department of Toxic Substances Control and the potential need for some environmental remediation. A dditionally, the City is working to relocate the recycling operations of California Waste Solutions (CWS) and Custom Alloy Scrap Sales (CASS) to the North Gateway parcel . However, it has been estimated that the process for the two recyclers to acquire the necessary permits to develop the site and relocate their facilities can take between two to four years, leaving the site unused in the interim.
City Council
May 3, 2022
Addressing homelessness continues to be a top priority for this Council and this resolution provides clear di rection for the City Administration to take the necessary steps to establish a temporary housing solution, to house at least one thousand individuals, at the North Gateway parcel.
I respectfully request your support for this resolution.
Sincerely,
Councilmember Carroll Fife