View Exhibit A-13 Appen L-L1-Pub Com Letters; L2 - Resp to Pub Comments — Oakland City Council, January 31, 2023 (part 2 of 6)

Page 21 ends

7/20/22, 4:33 PM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/…%2FqtcXWGMRiAAAAAAEMAAApFTKySZwnTo%2FqtcXWGMRiAAE1Ee3pAAA%3D Page 1 of 1 Housing element feedback
Colin Piethe < >
Fri 6/10/2022 2:17 PM
To: General Plan <[email protected]>
[EXTERNAL] This email originated outside of the City of Oakland. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and expect the message.

Hello, I'm responding as a resident and not in my role as a city employee.

POLICY 3.5. EXPLORE INNOVATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE HOUSING MODELS - The City should take a much more proactive approach to expanding the role of land trusts and other collective ownership strategies that take housing either into the City's, or the community's hands. The words "explore" and "support" are passive words, and don't commit the City to changing how it does business. Merely studying and considering these strategies continues to let primarily private developers make decisions about how the City's housing stock is built, and their decisions are not in the best interests of our residents. We need to move the City away from relying on the whims of the market and let Oakland residents take collective ownership of their land and housing.

Reduce the police budget and put it into other City priorities so that we have money in a dedicated housing fund to help subsidize rent for our most underserved residents living paycheck to paycheck. 32% of americans cannot afford a $400 emergency, and providing our residents with stable housing can help them stay on their feet.

Action 3.4.3: Revise citywide parking standards
- Please implement parking maximums city-wide, or with neighborhood-specific approaches.

Developers still think there's a "market demand" for providing more parking than necessary, even in Downtown where we're trying to limit parking. While there's no minimum Downtown, developers are not reducing parking supply, such as at 1919 Webster, where the developer is currently proposing an extra wide driveway which will create conflicts with the future bike lane that's planned for Webster.

Thank you for your time,
Colin
1 June 10, 2022
Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan
Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas
Council President Pro Tempore Sheng Thao
Councilmember Dan Kalb
Councilmember Carroll Fife
Councilmember Noel Gallo
Councilmember Loren Taylor
Councilmember Treva Reid
Re: Oakland Housing Element Update – Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act & Affordable Housing Preservation Funding
Dear Honorable Oakland City Councilmembers:

We are Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, Causa Justa :: Just Cause, the East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative, the Oakland Community Land Trust, Oakland Tenants Union, PolicyLink, Public Advocates, and Urban Habitat. We urge the City of Oakland to take meaningful action in the 6th Cycle Housing Element update to address the unmet housing needs of low-income households and commit to policies and programs that affirmatively further fair housing. Specifically, we are calling on the City to commit to (1) passing a strong Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act by 2023 and (2) reauthorizing Measure KK with significantly increased funding (at least $350 million) for anti-displacement and affordable housing preservation. These actions are essential to prevent displacement, stabilize current residents and existing communities, and preserve affordable housing for the long term.

Renters at risk of displacement in Oakland urgently need TOPA so that they can stay in their communities and have a voice in their housing options. Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) policies give tenants and qualified organizations, like community land trusts and nonprofit affordable housing developers, the right to make the first offer and the right to match competitors’ offers so that they can purchase their homes when offered for sale. As a key intervention against speculation, TOPA preserves housing as permanently affordable for future generations. TOPA expands stability and wealth-building opportunities for tenants by creating pathways to homeownership. TOPA does not require landlords to sell their properties or sell for less than market rate.

Both the implementation of a strong TOPA policy and dedicated funding for preservation are essential to actually preserving units as permanently affordable. Funding to support the acquisition and rehabilitation of properties is critical to ensure that TOPA leads to meaningful outcomes. As a package, this policy coupled with much-needed preservation resources will create new permanently affordable housing in Oakland and allow Oakland residents to stay in their current homes, avoiding the disruption and trauma of displacement. 2 Concrete commitments to pass TOPA on an urgent timeline and increase funding for affordable housing preservation will advance multiple Housing Element requirements. Among these, Oakland is required to address the housing needs of low-income households, identify specific strategies to conserve and improve affordable housing stock, and Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH). The acquisition and preservation of currently market-rate rental housing stock as permanently affordable housing is a crucial strategy that would help Oakland meet these obligations.

Action 2.2.8 Should Commit to More Specific Action on TOPA on a More Urgent Timeline “Action 2.2.8: Investigate a Tenant/Community Opportunity to Purchase Act,” as currently drafted,1 is both insufficient to meet the needs of low-income community members and people of color at risk of displacement and inadequate to meet state statutory requirements. Action 2.2.8 states, “Oakland will study, and if appropriate implement, a TOPA/COPA policy by 2025.” “Studying” TOPA is unlikely to yield any benefit, and is also unnecessary as City Staff have already been exploring this policy for years, including drafting several different Tenant/Community Opportunity to Purchase ordinances since 2019, at the direction of two different City Council Members.

Moreover, state law requires all Housing Element programs to have beneficial impact within the planning period, including identification of specific actions, which agency or official is responsible for those actions, and a timeline.2
Programs to affirmatively further fair housing
must identify “metrics and milestones for determining what fair housing results will be achieved.”3 A recent survey of HCD reviews of draft housing actions from Southern California jurisdictions emphasizes that time bound actions with “specific commitments [from local actors], metrics, and milestones” are required and that jurisdictions are expressly discouraged from relying on vague words like “study” or “explore” as such non-specific actions are unlikely to have any real-world impact within the planning period.4 Action 2.2.8 should instead commit to passing TOPA by 2023. A TOPA policy should include several key components – a right of first offer and right of first refusal for tenants (and for qualified organizations if tenants assign or waive their rights); sufficient timelines for tenants and qualified organizations to organize, negotiate a contract, secure financing, and close; technical assistance for tenants to understand the process, financing, and different ownership options; permanent affordability restrictions on all TOPA purchases; and clear enforcement mechanisms if owners of covered properties fail to comply with the law. 1 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. 57. 2 Gov. Code § 65583(c). 3 Gov. Code § 65583(c)(10)(A)(iv).
4 ABAG, Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Policy Tips Memo Learning from Southern California & Sacramento: Early Experiences in Complying with AB686. 3 Action 3.3.18 Should Commit to a More Specific Action on Funding for Anti-Displacement and Affordable Housing Preservation
“Action 3.3.18: Reauthorize Measure KK”5
should commit to significantly increased funding for
anti-displacement and affordable housing preservation. As currently drafted, the objective simply states, “The size of the new infrastructure bond and the amount set-aside for Affordable Housing is still being determined.”6
It goes on to provide details about the number of units of housing preserved under Measure KK.7
Action 3.3.18 should provide additional details and clear commitments about the reauthorization of the infrastructure bond measure, such as the size of the bond, the amount set-aside for affordable housing, and the number of housing units that will be preserved. As discussed above, state law requires all Housing Element programs to include identification of specific actions, and programs to affirmatively further fair housing must identify “metrics and milestones for determining what fair housing results will be achieved.”8 Action 3.3.18 should commit to set aside at least $350 million of the general obligation bond for anti-displacement and affordable housing preservation projects. The 2016 measure only set aside about 16 percent ($100 million) of the $600 million general obligation bond for affordable housing. Given the scope of the housing crisis in Oakland, we need more funding for resident-led and community land trust-supported preservation projects. And because low-income tenants lack the financing to purchase their own homes, this consistent funding source dedicated to preservation will be essential to make a TOPA policy effective.

TOPA and Affordable Housing Preservation Funding Address Unmet Needs of LowIncome Households Housing Element law requires jurisdictions to develop an assessment of housing needs for all income levels and a plan to address these needs.9
A TOPA policy and enhanced affordable
housing preservation funding will clearly address the identified housing needs in Oakland’s draft Housing Element. According to the draft Oakland Housing Needs Assessment, “housing affordability is particularly out of reach for lower-income households.”10 Nearly half (46.5 percent) of all renters experience some level of cost burden.11 11.5 percent of renter occupied households experience overcrowding.12 Nearly half of all households in Oakland live in tracts at risk of or experiencing gentrification, while almost a quarter live in tracts susceptible to or experiencing displacement.13
5 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. 74. 6 Id.
7 Id.
8 Gov. Code §§ 65583(c), (c)(10)(A)(iv).
9 Gov. Code §§ 65583(a), (b), (c).
10 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. B-37. 11 Id. 12 Id. at B-34. 13 Id. at D-58.
4 TOPA is a proven strategy to address these unmet needs of low-income renter households – the high rates of cost burdens, overcrowding, and displacement risk. For households facing unaffordable rent increases,14 doubling up with friends and family, and paying more than 30 percent of their income on rent, the time to “study” proven anti-displacement strategies like tenant opportunity to purchase policies is long overdue. TOPA policies can only effectively address the unmet needs of low-income households when coupled with a dedicated funding source to assist in financing tenant purchases.

TOPA and Affordable Housing Preservation Funding Affirmatively Further Fair Housing Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) means taking meaningful actions to address disparities in housing needs and access to opportunity, and that overcome patterns of segregation and foster inclusive communities free from barriers that restrict access to opportunity based on protected characteristics.15 Protected characteristics under California law include race, sex, national origin, and disability status.16 In this Housing Element Cycle, cities and counties are now required to analyze the fair housing issues, including “disproportionate housing needs” and “displacement risk” of members of protected groups, and identify and prioritize concrete actions to remedy these injustices.

The draft Oakland Housing Element correctly identifies that “[m]ost of Oakland is considered vulnerable to displacement pressures.”17 The City identified “disproportionate housing needs and displacement risk” as a fair housing issue with one of the contributing factors as “high rates of cost burden for renters and BIPOC individuals.”18 One of the goals and actions the City identified to address this fair housing issue is “implement[ing] affordable housing preservation … strategies.”19 This should be a high instead of medium priority.

As communities of color continue to be the primary demographic affected by displacement and lack of affordable housing in Oakland based on local data,20 Oakland should put forward 14 Oakland rents have risen by 47.3 percent since 2009. ABAG/MTC Housing Needs Data Report:

Oakland, April 2, 2021, p. 38. 15 Gov. Code §§ 65583(c)(5), 8899.50(a)(1). 16 Gov. Code § 65583(c)(5).
17 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. D-71. 18 Id. 19 Id.
20 Since 2000, Oakland’s Black or African American population has decreased by 41,390, resulting in its share of population decreasing from 36.26 percent to 23.23 percent. City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. B-7. From 2000 to 2018, the Black population in Eastmont experienced a 53 percent decrease. Id. at D-57. Communities of color are particularly impacted by displacement as housing costs increase. Id. The highest rates of cost burden are experienced by Black or African American and Hispanic or Latinx households. Id. at B-37. “Between 2010 and 2017, Black, Hispanic, and Asian or Pacific Islander residents were all being displaced in Oakland and replaced by white residents.” Id. at D-58. “Homelessness … impacts Oakland residents unequally by race/ethnicity …, the vast majority of unhoused Oakland residents are Black (about 70.0 percent).” Id. at. B-27.

Overcrowding is most prevalent among Hispanic or Latinx households and other race or multiple race 5 concrete commitments to pass TOPA by next year and significantly expand preservation funding to address these fair housing issues. TOPA policies effectively prevent displacement, preserve existing housing as affordable for the long term, and convert market rate housing into permanently affordable housing stock.

As stated in Oakland’s draft Housing Element, “actions that preserve the affordability of existing homes also play a key role in preventing displacement and allowing lower-income and BIPOC tenants to remain in place despite the gentrification of their neighborhoods… A Community Opportunity to Purchase/Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, if adopted, would allow for tenants to access the wealth building and stability of benefits of homeownership.”21 Oakland Must Incorporate Input from Renters and Low-Income People in the Housing Element Process
Jurisdictions must make a “diligent effort [...] to achieve public participation of all economic segments of the community in the development of the housing element.” During the public engagement process, low-income residents and community-based organizations representing low-income people and members of protected classes identified housing preservation as a top priority.22 The City highlighted that a key public participation theme that emerged to mitigate the pressures of displacement and gentrification was preserving the city’s existing affordable housing stock, “including through implementation of a Community/Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act” and “innovative solutions to maintain permanent affordability like community land trusts.”23 As we have detailed above, “investigating” a Tenant/Community Opportunity to Purchase Act is an insufficient action to respond to this community-identified priority.

Our local TOPA campaign is deeply rooted in the needs of the community, as this policy aims to support tenants at risk of displacement, facilitate tenant organizing and power-building, stabilize gentrifying neighborhoods, and take property off the speculative market and place it under community control. Oakland residents need the City of Oakland to take concrete steps in the 6th Cycle Housing Element to not only meet its legal obligations, but to ensure that every resident can continue to thrive and prosper here without fear of losing their homes.

We look forward to working with the City of Oakland to develop a TOPA program with a consistent funding source. We urge the City to make concrete commitments in the Housing Element update to pass TOPA by 2023 and to reauthorize Measure KK with at least $350 million households of any ethnicity as 24.5 percent and 22.0 percent of each group experiences overcrowding, respectively. Id. at B-35. 21 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. 51. 22 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, Oakland Housing Element Discussion Group Meeting #2: Production, Preservation, and Protections, March 10, 2022 (“There is a trend of conversion from non-restricted affordable housing to market rate (e.g., condo conversions in northwest and central east Oakland). Rent controlled units are also not permanently affordable and can be demolished. Participants expressed interest in strategies like social housing, TOPA/COPA, community land trusts, and housing cooperatives to reduce conversions and maintain permanent affordability.”)
23 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Draft – Public Review, May 2022, p. 28. 6 for anti-displacement and affordable housing preservation. These are key strategies that require concrete objectives and urgent timelines. Please reach out to Public Advocates Staff Attorney Suzanne Dershowitz at [email protected] or (415) 431-7430 ext. 305 if you have any questions.

Sincerely,
Grace Martinez, Deputy Director
Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment
Kenneth Tang, Lead Community Organizer
Asian Pacific Environmental Network
Alyssia Osorio, Program Director
Causa Justa :: Just Cause
Ojan Mobedshahi, Finance Director
East Bay Permanent Real Estate Cooperative
Steve King, Executive Director
Oakland Community Land Trust
Mark Dias, Co-Chair
Oakland Tenants Union
Rasheedah Phillips, Director of Housing
PolicyLink
Suzanne Dershowitz, Staff Attorney
Public Advocates, Inc.

Ellen Wu, Executive Director
Urban Habitat
6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 1 of 7 RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Elizabeth Rose Wampler >
Mon 6/13/2022 4:50 PM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey < >
Cc: Tia Hicks < >
Super helpful, as always. And I heard from Tia and one of our current cohort members that the workshop last Thursday was excellent!
Re: zoning/densities for the site at 8400 Enterprise Way (City of Refuge), it looks like 5-6 stories, up to 100 units/acre, mixed-use multi-family housing and ground floor services/retail would be ideal. Between now and the fall, COR will be doing more work to further refine a more specific project vision, and I’d love to share where they land with you.

Let me know if you have any questions for us.

Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
|
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/45min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 9, 2022 12:42 PM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Cc: Tia Hicks
Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Hi Elizabeth & Tia,
Great! Tia - in case you didn't already do so, make sure to sign up for the Housing Element workshop tonight.

Yes, the sites inventory is the table on pages 109-116 that you linked to.

Based on community feedback, the City and Housing Element/General Plan Update consultants are already in the process of identifying areas that could potentially be rezoned/upzoned. The City and our consultants will be studying the environmental impact of rezoning/upzoning this summer and into the fall. The zoning amendments will be taken through public hearing alongside of the Housing Element in early 2023.

Please let me know if you have any further questions!
- Audrey
6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 2 of 7 From: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Sent: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 4:34 PM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Cc: Tia Hicks
Subject: RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Hi Audrey,
Sorry for not replying more quickly!
1) LOVE the idea of the overlay you mentioned. My colleague Tia Hicks (cc’ing her here) is going to attend the evening workshop on Thursday and we’re excited to learn more. 2) I finally had a chance to review all of our current cohort member sites, and it looks like everyone besides City of Refuge (8400 Enterprise Way) is in the site inventory. (Just to confirm I’m looking at the right table, I’m seeing them all in the table on pages 109-111 in this document: https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/Appendix-C-SitesInventory_clean_2022-05-13-171306_rmga.pdf) 3) We can share some preliminary estimates re: density, heights, and units for the COR site by Monday, but they’ll be very early estimates at this stage. I’ll be back in touch when we have those numbers.
4) Re: 8800 Fontaine (United Lutheran Church of Oakland) – I see is included with a capacity of 53 units. That looks right to me, though of course I would defer to the church representatives.

One more question for you – for the sites listed in the inventory that will need a zoning amendment – do you have a sense of when the City would decide to take on that rezoning task? Thank you!
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
|
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/45min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2022 11:51 AM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Great question!
One of the actions included in the Housing Element's Housing Action Plan is to create an affordable housing overlay zone which would apply broadly citywide, except in high fire risk zones and protected historical sites. In this overlay zone, the City is considering streamlining approval of affordable housing by right (could apply to mixed income projects). It could also include ministerial 6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 3 of 7 approval of 100% affordable projects, increased height and density, waiver of parking, and reduction of zoning barriers. This could potentially support faith orgs in your current and future cohorts.

We'll actually discuss the affordable housing overlay (as well as gather general feedback on the draft Housing Element) at our upcoming Housing Element discussion session next Wednesday, June 8th from 10-11:30am. Are you interested in joining? I'm happy to send you the calendar invite.

I think some members of the Faith and Housing first and second cohort are attending. We may also discuss it at the Housing Element public workshop next Thursday, June 9th from 6-8pm, if that time works better for you.
- Audrey
From: Elizabeth Rose Wampler <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2022 10:24 AM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Thanks Audrey! I’ll work on this today.

Do you think the City would be open to considering an overlay for all faith-owned land as part of the housing element? We can include the folks we’re working with now, but I’m guessing this will come up again for faith organizations in future cohorts.

Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/45min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, June 2, 2022 7:11 AM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Hi Elizabeth,
Great, I've added 8400 Enterprise Way to the list of sites/broader areas that we should consider for zoning amendments.

I scrolled back and reviewed Cindy's initial messages with the cohort 1 and 2 spreadsheets she sent over. I saw her note about wanting to upzone 8800 Fontaine Street. For 8400 Enterprise Way, 8800 Fontaine St and any other sites that you would like us to add to the sites inventory and/or consider for upzoning or zoning amendments, could you please share the following info?:
6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 4 of 7 Desired zoning - base zoning, height, densities, etc
Updates on project overview, # of units, etc (if it's changed from what's written in the spreadsheet)
This will give Staff a better understanding of what's needed for those sites and perhaps the broader area when we are discussing zoning amendments. I also know that zoning is a bit complicated, so please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or need help navigating the zoning. Our website says the public comment period for the Housing Element closes on Monday, June 13th, but you can still provide feedback afterward.

Thank you for coordinating this!
- Audrey
From: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 10:33 AM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Thank you! Yes, let me share our cross-checked list. I know we’re especially eager to support City of Refuge (who are located at 8400 Enterprise Way), but I want to make sure we aren’t missing anyone else.

Appreciate all that you’re doing!
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/45min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 8:38 AM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs As a quick follow up - it looks like 8400 Enterprise Way is located in the CR-1 zone, or Regional Commercial zone, which prohibits residential activities.

If you can send me a list of any other sites, I will look into them and coordinate with other staff. We are proposing a series of zoning amendments alongside of the Housing Element that could change where residential uses are allowed, so let's continue to touch base and I will keep you in the loop. - Audrey
From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, June 1, 2022 8:28 AM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 5 of 7 Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for taking a look! Can you send me the list of all sites that were not included? The only reason I can think that the sites may have been screened out is if they fall in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone, if the site zoning does not allow residential by-right, or something of that nature.

Please let me know and I will make sure to follow up with you about any missing sites. Thank you! - Audrey
From: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Sent: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 6:22 PM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Hi Audrey,
I hope you’re doing well! I was looking at the draft Housing Element (congrats on getting a draft out!) and had a question. I noticed that several of the faith-based organizations that we’ve worked with have their sites listed, which is wonderful. But there were a few missing, and I was wondering if there was a reason for that.

I’m wondering in particular about City of Refuge, located at 8400 Enterprise Way, Oakland, CA 94621.

Let me know if you have any insights? And of course happy to work through official feedback channels as well.

Thank you!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/45min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2022 2:31 PM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Subject: Re: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs Oh, that's so bizarre, I'm not sure what happened there! I am about to send you an email to share with both cohorts, so let me know if there are any issues... Thanks for reaching out! 6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 6 of 7 - Audrey
From: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Sent: Monday, February 28, 2022 2:12 PM
To: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs [EXTERNAL] This email originated outside of the City of Oakland. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and expect the message.

Audrey, your response below was blank. Just wanted to make sure you didn’t send me something to share out!
Elizabeth
Elizabeth Wampler | Housing Director
Bay Area LISC | Local Initiatives Support Corporation
She, her, hers
Schedule time to connect: https://calendly.com/ewampler/30min From: Lieberworth, Audrey <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2022 1:26 PM
To: Elizabeth Rose Wampler
Subject: Automatic reply: Alameda County Affordable Housing with Faith Based Orgs The information transmitted in this e-mail is intended solely for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

The information transmitted in this e-mail is intended solely for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.
6/14/22, 10:03 AM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/id/AAQkADc0YTZiYTZhLTZlZDctNDVhNC05ZmYwLTI2Y2VjYjYwMmM4NAAQAAbXJtBc1kp4ocJj3J4RtiY%3D Page 7 of 7 The information transmitted in this e-mail is intended solely for the individual or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. Any review, retransmission, dissemination or other use of or taking action in reliance upon this information by persons or entities other than the intended recipient is prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please contact the sender and delete the material from any computer.

June 13, 2022
Oakland Planning Department
250 Frank H. Ogawa Plaza
Oakland, CA 94612
Re: Recommendation for parking component of Housing Element Dear Oakland Planning Department,
TransForm is a regional non-profit focused on creating connected and healthy communities that can meet climate goals, reduce traffic, and include housing affordable to everyone. We have been based in Oakland for 22 years and greatly appreciate the collaborative work we have done with the community, city staff and elected leaders on bringing affordable, clean mobility options to equity priority communities
Oakland has been a leader in the Bay Area when it comes to smart parking policy. In 2015, the City eliminated parking minimums in the downtown zone and set parking minimums for residential and commercial development. These changes greatly reduced the financial and physical constraint posed by excessive parking mandates. Also by requiring unbundling for all developments of 10 or more units in the downtown development zone, it is clear Oakland understands the power of implementing many smart parking policies in tandem, a nuance missed by other municipalities.

Oakland’s draft 2023-2031 Housing Element includes Action 3.4.3 which will fund a continued review of parking policies after the Housing Element is enacted. We commend this proposed action but are concerned with the lack of specificity in the proposed review. The action speaks to a “review of existing residential parking standards and the identifications of appropriate new standards to match long-term development and environmental goals” and, beyond a reference to exploring flexibility in parking requirements, the action lacks a concrete policy goal.

With the importance of implementing smarter parking policies, especially given our climate and housing affordability crises, we at TransForm want to ensure this funded review has clear goals so it is not ignored or pushed to the next Housing Element cycle. Specifically, we encourage implementing unbundling beyond the downtown development zone, and strengthening TDM by requiring provision of transit passes and bike share memberships to each resident.

To show the tremendous benefits these policies can have, we have used our GreenTRIP Connect tool to create scenarios for a potential future development site at 7000 Bancroft Ave. 560 14TH STREET, SUITE 400, OAKLAND, CA 94612 | T: 510.740.3150 | WWW.TRANSFORMCA.ORG 1 GreenTRIP Connect is recommended by the California Office of Planning and Research as a tool to use while developing General Plans and is especially useful during development of Housing Elements. The tool is free to use whether planning at the site or city-wide level.

By implementing unbundling, and providing bikeshare and transit passes at this site, we saw a 26% decrease in parking and resident transportation savings of $988 per year. When combined with 100% affordable housing these strategies resulted in an incredible 50% reduction in driving and greenhouse gas emissions for the site, compared to the city average. If an affordable development with smart parking strategies were built on this site each household would drive 5,066 less miles per year creating a greener and safer community.

With a RHNA allocation of 26,251, it is essential that Oakland makes eliminating constraints to housing development such as parking a top priority for this Housing Element. Policies and investments that also maximize the amount of affordable housing will also be critical.These two crucial issues—smart parking strategies and affordable housing—go hand-in-hand and we hope the City defines concrete goals for parking reduction.

Please let me know if you have any questions. TransForm hopes this information clarifies why Oakland should make parking reform and provisions to support affordable housing central priorities in the Housing Element update.

Sincerely,
Kendra Ma
Housing Policy Analyst
[email protected]
560 14TH STREET, SUITE 400, OAKLAND, CA 94612 | T: 510.740.3150 | WWW.TRANSFORMCA.ORG 2 7/20/22, 4:11 PM
https://outlook.office365.com/mail/[email protected]/…%2FqtcXWGMRiAAAAAAEMAAApFTKySZwnTo%2FqtcXWGMRiAAE3NlM3AAA%3D Page 1 of 1 Comments on draft housing element
Stuart Flashman
Mon 6/13/2022 12:00 PM
To: General Plan <[email protected]>
Cc: Ranelletti, Darin <[email protected]>
[EXTERNAL] This email originated outside of the City of Oakland. Please do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the sender and expect the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To Whom it May Concern:

Attached are annotated copies of the Draft Housing Element and Appendix A to that element.

The annotations contain my notes, comments and suggested edits. I am submitting them as an individual Oakland resident for more than thirty years as well as in my capacity as an East Bay land use attorney with thirty-two years’ experience who has dealt extensively with housing elements and housing issues in the Bay Area.

Overall, I think that the Draft Housing Element does a good job of identifying what’s working, what’s not working, and what needs to be done to achieve the element’s primary objective (providing housing for all of Oakland’s residents – which is, I think, a very appropriate objective).

However, as my annotations indicate, there are things that could be said better or more clearly, and there are some proposed actions that you may want to add, delete, or revise to improve the outcome.

Appendix A: Evaluation of the 2015-2023
Oakland Housing Element
Table of Contents
A.1 Regional Housing Need Allocation Progress............................................................ A-2 A.2 Evaluation of Goals, Policies, and Actions ............................................................... A-4 Assessment of Goals and Policies...................................................................................................A-4 Assessment of Actions....................................................................................................................A-4 List of Charts and Tables
Charts:

Chart A-1: Progress Towards Meeting the RHNA, 2015-2020......................................................................A-3 Tables:

Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) ........................................................................................A-6 Table A-2: City Progress Report – Evaluating Housing Actions Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) ......................................................................................A-13 City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Update
A-2
This appendix provides an evaluation of the City’s
State requirements, including the element’s cumulative impact on special needs groups.

The City’s previous Housing Element was adopted December ͻǡʹͲͳͶǡ

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nity’s

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• Ǥ A.1 Regional Housing Need Allocation Progress
ʹͲͳͷǦʹͲʹ͵ Housing Element period, Oakland’s Regional Housing Need
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1 Paavo et al., A Flawed Law: Reforming California’s Housing Element (2019), UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies, available at https://www.lewis.ucla.edu/research/flawed-law-reforming-california-housing-element/ (last accessed March 30, 2022).

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-3

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Chart A-1: Progress Towards Meeting the RHNA, 2015-2020 Source: State HCD, 5th Cycle Annual Progress Report Permit Summary, 2021; ABAG, Final RHNA Plan, December 2021

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City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Element Update
A-4

or “crisis”

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A.2 Evaluation of Goals, Policies, and Actions

ASSESSMENT OF GOALS AND POLICIES
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Ǧͳ ǤǦ broad changes in the City’s goals and policies, and the 2023Ǧ ʹͲ͵ͳ

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ASSESSMENT OF ACTIONS

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, many of which are considered “special needsǤ” ǡ
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Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-5
as seniors, large families, extremely-low-income household, and persons experiencing homelessness. There are over 20 actions directly aimed at special needs groups – including persons experiencing homelessness, persons with a disability, the elderly, female-headed households, extremely-low-income households, and persons with HIV/AIDs. 2 While the majority of these actions have been evaluated as effective, there is still a clear gap in meeting the housing needs of some special needs groups – especially those experiencing homelessness and extremely-low-income households. As indicated in Appendix B, the housing crisis has continued throughout the 2015 to 2023 period and rates of homelessness have drastically increased. Appendix F provides an assessment of the constraints to housing production and identifies potential reasons why the City fell short of meeting its RHNA. While discrete City actions may be effective, more comprehensive steps must be taken to encourage the production of emergency shelters and transitional and supportive housing, as well as housing affordable to lower-income groups. The Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Framework to address homelessness represents one such approach that the City should continue to implement.3 Other steps the City will take to adequately meet the needs of special needs groups during the 2023-2031 period are described in the Housing Action Plan. 2 Actions related to special needs groups include the following: 2.5.1, 2.5.2, 2.5.3, 2.6.1, 2.9.1, 2.9.2, 2.9.3, 2.9.4, 2.9.5,

2.9.6, 2.9.7, 2.9.8, 3.1.2, 4.3.2, 4.3.3, 5.4.1, 6.1.1, 6.1.2, 6.1.3, 6.1.4, 6.2.1, 6.2.2, and 6.4.3. 3 The PATH Framework is the City's updated five-year approach to address homelessness in Oakland, based on the following themes: 1. Prevention strategies to keep people from becoming homeless; 2. Emergency strategies to shelter and rehouse households and improve health and safety on the street and; 3. Creation of affordable, extremely low income and permanent supportive housing units prioritized for households experiencing homelessness. More information is available on the City’s website: https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources/learn-more-about-ourhomelessness-strategy.

A-6
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Goal 1 – Provide Adequate Sites Suitable for Housing for All Income Groups Policy 1.1 – Priority Development Areas Housing Program.

The City will target development and marketing resources in Priority Development Areas (PDAs), and in areas for which Specific Plans have been completed or are underway. See also Policy 7.3.

While Oakland met its overall housing production
goals, it did not meet the 5th Cycle RHNA for
lower- and moderate-income households. During
this period, the City implemented a number of
actions to encourage residential development at
all income levels. This includes the adoption of
the Priority Development Areas, expedited review
processes, development along International
Boulevard with multiple affordable projects,
micro-living units proposed in the Draft
Downtown Oakland Specific Plan, residential
development in specific plans, and
encouragement of alternative housing like ADUs,
manufactured housing, and live/work units.

Because a significant portion of development
occurred on sites that were not identified as
opportunity sites in the 5th Cycle, the City has
maintained an adequate supply of land to meet
its 5th Cycle RHNA. Appendix C identifies
additional sites for Oakland’s 6th Cycle RHNA.

Policy 1.2 – Availability of Land.

Maintain an adequate supply of land to meet the regional housing share under the ABAG Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA).

Policy 1.3 – Appropriate Locations and Densities for Housing.

The City’s Strategic Planning Division initiated five Specific Plans and one Area Plan during the 2007- 2014 Housing Element period, which will further the housing location and density objectives contained in the recently completed residential and commercial zoning update. The Lake Merritt Station Area (Specific) Plan, Broadway Valdez Specific Plan, West Oakland Specific Plan, Coliseum Area Specific Plan, and Central Estuary Area Plan included extensive community outreach processes and have resulted in specific zoning proposals. These Specific and Area Plans will facilitate the construction of nearly 17,000 new housing units in the City of Oakland.

The completion of the Specific and Area Plans will provide these substantial housing gains in two respects: environmental clearance and community buy-in for future housing projects. Each planning process involved extensive community participation which culminated with significant community buyin to the policies and development framework outlined in the plans, thus minimizing possible community opposition to future housing development projects.

Policy 1.4 – Secondary Units.

Support the construction of secondary units in single-family zones and recognize these units as an important source of affordable housing.

Policy 1.5 – Manufactured Housing.

Provide for the inclusion of manufactured housing in appropriate locations.

Policy 1.6 – Adaptive Reuse.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-7
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Encourage the re-use of industrial and commercial buildings for joint living quarters and working spaces.

Policy 1.7 – Regional Housing Needs.

The City of Oakland will strive to meet its fair share of housing needed in the Bay Area region.

Goal 2 – Promote the Development of Adequate Housing for Low- and Moderate-Income Households Policy 2.1 – Affordable Housing Development Programs.

Provide financing for the development of affordable housing for low- and moderate-income households. The City’s financing programs will promote a mix of housing types, including homeownership, multifamily rental housing, and housing for seniors and persons with special needs.

The City has encouraged and promoted
affordable housing development through a
combination of incentives and funding. City
efforts include the release of Notices of Funding
Availability (NOFAs), predevelopment loans to
non-profits, Oakland Housing Authority resources,
first-time homebuyer programs, the Community
Buying Program, and other loans. Impact fees,
including the Jobs/Housing and Affordable
Housing Impact Fee, provide funding to the
Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Through the 5th
cycle RHNA, there will have been approximately
$150 million in total expenditures on these
efforts.

Other City incentives include density bonus
provisions, impact fee waivers, promotion of Cityowned property, geographic equity and quality in NOFA scoring, as well as promoting community
land trusts, resale controls, and providing rental
assistance.

Policy 2.2 – Affordable Homeownership Opportunities.

Develop and promote programs and mechanisms to expand opportunities for lower-income households to become homeowners.

Policy 2.3 – Density Bonus Program.

Continue to refine and implement programs to permit projects to exceed the maximum allowable density set by zoning, if they include units set aside for occupancy by very-low-, low-, and moderateincome households and/or seniors.

Policy 2.4 – Permanently Affordable Homeownership.

Develop mechanisms for ensuring that assisted homeownership developments remain permanently affordable to lower-income households to promote a mix of incomes.

Policy 2.5 – Seniors and Other Special Needs.

Assist and promote the development of housing with appropriate supportive services for seniors and other persons with special needs.

Policy 2.6 – Large Families.

Encourage the development of affordable rental and ownership housing units that can accommodate large families.

Policy 2.7 – Expand Local Funding Sources.

A-8
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Increase local resources to support affordable housing development and develop new sources of funding.

The City also provides funding for special needs
housing and implements the PATH strategy for
homelessness. Policy 2.8 – Rental Assistance.

Increase the availability of rental assistance for very-low-income households.

Policy 2.9 – PATH Strategy for the Homeless.

Expand the City’s Permanent Access to Housing (PATH) Plan to prevent and end homelessness and increase housing opportunities to the homeless through acquisition, rehabilitation and construction of housing, master leasing and short-term financial assistance Policy 2.10 – Promote an Equitable Distribution of Affordable Housing throughout the Community.

The City will undertake a number of efforts to distribute assisted housing widely throughout the community and avoid the over-concentration of assisted housing in any particular neighborhood, in order to provide a more equitable distribution of households by income and by race and ethnicity.

Policy 2.11 – Affordable Housing Preference for Oakland Residents and Workers.

Implement the policy enacted by the City Council in 2008 granting a preference to Oakland residents and Oakland workers to buy or rent affordable housing units assisted by City of Oakland funds provided through its annual Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) process.

Goal 3 – Remove Constraints to the Availability and Affordability of Housing for All Income Groups Policy 3.1 – Expedite and Simplify Permit Processes.

Continue to implement permit processes that facilitate the provision of housing and annually review and revise permit approval processes.

The City has undertaken a number of efforts to
remove housing constraints. Rectified
governmental constraints include aligning City
regulations pursuant to State law (e.g.,
reasonable accommodation,
transitional/supportive housing permitting, and
emergency shelter permitting), prioritizing
affordable housing applications, one-stop
permitting, development impact fees, and
reliance on specific plan EIRs to expedite review.

Policy 3.2 – Flexible Zoning Standards.

Allow flexibility in the application of zoning, building, and other regulations.

Policy 3.3 – Development Fees and Site Improvement Requirements.

Reduce the cost of development through reasonable and predictable fees, and improvement of project review standards.

Policy 3.4 – Intergovernmental Coordination.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-9
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Promote intergovernmental coordination in review and approval of residential development proposals when more than one governmental agency has jurisdiction.

Although the City still implements a discretionary
design review process, it is currently developing
objective design standards.

The City continues to engage in community
outreach, including with East Bay Housing
Organizations (EBHO), the Non-Profit Housing
Association of Northern California, the Oakland
Property Acquisition Collective, and Bay Area For
All Table.

Policy 3.5 – Financing Costs.

Reduce financing costs for affordable housing development.

Policy 3.6 – Environmental Constraints.

Explore programs and funding sources to assist with the remediation of soil contamination on sites that maybe redeveloped for housing.

Policy 3.7 – Community Outreach and Education.

Increase public acceptance and understanding of affordable development and related issues through community outreach.

Goal 4 – Conserve and Improve Older Housing and Neighborhoods Policy 4.1 – Housing Rehabilitation Loan Programs.

Provide a variety of loan programs to assist with the rehabilitation of owner-occupied and rental housing for very-low- and low-income households.

The City continues to offer rehabilitation loans to
lower- and moderate-income households through
multiple programs—such as the Home
Maintenance and Improvement Program
(HMIP)—and responds housing maintenance
issues through Code Enforcement Services. Other
conservation and improvement efforts include
the Community Buying Program, Mills Act
Contracts, residential hotel (SRO) preservation
requirements, and the Uniform Residential
Tenant Relocation Ordinance.

Policy 4.2 – Blight Abatement.

To improve housing and neighborhood conditions, the City should abate blighting conditions through a combination of code enforcement, financial assistance, and public investment.

Policy 4.3 – Housing Preservation and Rehabilitation.

Support the preservation and rehabilitation of existing housing stock with an emphasis on housing occupied by senior citizens, people with disabilities, and low-income populations. Encourage the relocation of structurally sound housing units scheduled for demolition to compatible neighborhoods when appropriate land can be found. Assist senior citizens and people with disabilities with housing rehabilitation so that they may remain in their homes. Continue to implement the Mills Act program.

A-10
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Policy 4.4 – Anti-Displacement of City of Oakland Residents.

The City will consider strengthening existing policies and introducing new policies or policy terms to current City policies to help prevent displacement of current Oakland residents and to preserve existing housing affordable to low-income residents, including both publicly-assisted and non-assisted housing that currently has affordable rents.

Goal 5 – Preserve Affordable Rental Housing
Policy 5.1 – Preservation of At-Risk Housing.

Seek to preserve the affordability of subsidized rental housing for lower-income households that may be at-risk of converting to market rate housing.

There was no conversion of identified “at-risk”
units during the period, although one project was
destroyed by a fire. The City also continued to
provide financial assistance for affordable
development and preservation, including through
Oakland Housing Authority resources. Other
major programs include the Rent-Adjustment
Program, the Just Cause for Eviction Ordinance,
the Tenant Protection Ordinance, residential
hotel (SRO) preservation requirements, limits on
conversion of residential to non-residential uses,
and limits on condo conversions.

Policy 5.2 – Support for Assisted Projects with Capital Needs.

Work with owners of assisted projects that have substantial needs for capital improvements to maintain the use of the properties as decent affordable housing.

Policy 5.3 – Rent Adjustment Program.

Continue to administer programs to protect existing tenants from unreasonable rent increases.

Policy 5.4 – Preservation of Single Room Occupancy Hotels.

Seek mechanisms for protecting and improving the existing stock of residential hotels, which provide housing of last resort for extremely-low-income households.

Policy 5.5 – Limitations on Conversion of Residential Property to Non-Residential Use.

Continue to use regulatory controls to limit the loss of housing units due to their conversion to nonresidential use.

Policy 5.6 – Limitations on Conversion of Rental Housing to Condominiums.

Continue to use regulatory controls to limit the loss of rental housing units due to their conversion to condominiums.

Policy 5.7 – Preserve and Improve Existing Oakland Housing Authority-Owned Housing.

Continue to preserve and improve existing Oakland Housing Authority-owned rental housing.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-11
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
Goal 6 – Promote Equal Housing Opportunity
Policy 6.1 – Fair Housing Actions.

Actively support efforts to provide education and counseling regarding housing discrimination, to investigate discrimination complaints, and to pursue enforcement when necessary. Provide a one-stop resource center to address all housing issues faced by Oakland residents.

During the period, the City continued to work
with the East Bay Community Law Center and its
Fair Housing partner agencies: Centro Legal,
Causa Justa: Just Cause, and ECHO Fair Housing to
provide fair housing services. Other effective
actions related to equal housing opportunity
include the Oakland Fair Chance Ordinance,
publishing disability access and Affirmative Fair
Marketing Procedures & Guidelines on the City’s
website, reasonable accommodation procedures,
Community Credit Needs Assessments, and the
Housing Element Annual Progress Report. The
City’s Department of Housing and Community
Development's Community Development &
Engagement section also provides resources.

Policy 6.2 – Reasonable Accommodations.

Provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities in access to public facilities, programs, and services.

Policy 6.3 – Promote Regional Efforts to Expand Housing Choice.

Encourage future regional housing allocations by ABAG to avoid over-concentration of low-income housing in communities with high percentages of such housing.

Policy 6.4 – Fair Lending.

Work to promote fair lending practices throughout the City to ensure that low-income and minority residents have fair access to capital resources needed to acquire and maintain housing.

Policy 6.5 – Accountability.

Work to promote accountability by City to the policies it has slated in the Housing Element.

Goal 7 – Promote Sustainable Development and Sustainable Communities Policy 7.1 – Sustainable Residential Development Programs.

In conjunction with the City’s adopted Energy and Climate Action Plan (ECAP), develop and promote programs to foster the incorporation of sustainable design principles, energy efficiency and smart growth principles into residential developments. Offer education and technical assistance regarding sustainable development to project applicants.

The City continues to operate the Green Building
Resource Center, and enforces the Oakland Green
Building Ordinance (first adopted in 2010). Other
actions related to sustainability include the
promotion of solar energy, collaborations with
Energy Upgrade California in Alameda County,
Bay Area Regional Energy Network (BayREN), and
East Bay Energy Watch (EBEW), and the
promotion of mixed-use development, transitoriented development, and development in PDAs.

Policy 7.2 – Minimize Energy and Water Consumption.

Encourage the incorporation of energy conservation design features in existing and future residential development beyond minimum standards required by State building code.

Policy 7.3 – Encourage Development that reduces Carbon Emissions.

Continue to direct development toward existing communities and encourage infill development at densities that are higher than—but compatible with—the surrounding communities. Encourage A-12
Table A-1: City Progress Report – Evaluating Goals and Policies Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) Goals/Policies Accomplishments
development in close proximity to transit, and with a mix of land uses in the same zoning district, or on the same site, so as to reduce the number and frequency of trips made by automobile.

In 2016, the City released the "Resilient Oakland
Playbook," while in July 2020, the City Council
adopted the Equitable Climate Action Plan.

Further, in 2021 the City adopted a new 2021-
2026 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan.

Policy 7.4 – Minimize Environmental Impacts from New Housing.

Work with developers to encourage construction of new housing that, where feasible, reduces the footprint of the building and landscaping, preserves green spaces, and supports ecological systems.

Policy 7.5 – Climate Adaptation and Neighborhood Resiliency.

Continue to study the potential local effects of climate change in collaboration with local and regional partners, such as BCDC. Identify potential adaptation strategies to improve community resilience to climate change, and integrate these strategies in new development, where appropriate.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-13
Table A-2: City Progress Report – Evaluating Housing Actions Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) No. Description Responsibility Timeframe Status of Implementation Effectiveness of Action
Appropriateness
of Action
GOAL 1: Provide Adequate Sites Suitable for Housing for All Income Groups POLICY 1.1: Priority Development Areas - Housing Program ACTION

1.1.1 Site Identification.

Conduct an inventory of
vacant and underutilized
land within the City’s PDAs
including the MacArthur
BART Station Area, West
Oakland, Downtown/Jack
London Square Area,
Fruitvale/Dimond Area,
Eastmont Town Center Area,
and the Coliseum BART
Station Area, identify sites
suitable for housing,
including estimates of the
number of housing units that
those sites can
accommodate, and make
that information available to
developers through a variety
of media.

Bureau of
Planning
Keep
updated
inventory
on the
City’s
website,
2016-2023
The City has not yet conducted an
inventory of vacant and underutilized
land within the City’s Priority
Development Areas (PDA). The PDA
designations were updated in 2019.

The updated PDAs were adopted by
the MTC and ABAG executive bodies
on July 16, 2020. These updated
designations are comprised of
relatively minor modifications to
existing PDAs that went through
extensive community processes in
previous years. The 2020 Adopted
Priority Development Areas (PDAs)
map is available on the City's website:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/priority-development-areas-pdas-1
In addition, these updated PDAs can
also be found on MTC's website:
https://mtc.ca.gov/planning/landuse/priority-development-areas-pdas This action is an
effective method
of targeting
development and
marketing
resources in
Priority
Development
Areas (PDAs).

The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

ACTION

1.1.2 Expedited Review.

Continue to expedite the
permit and entitlement
process for housing
developments with more
Bureau of
Planning &
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
From 2015-2021, Planners in the
Bureau of Planning processed planning
entitlement applications, including for
larger developments in Downtown
Oakland. In 2016, two new staff were
The policy is
effective. Between
2018-2021 (the
period during
which State HCD
The action is
appropriate to
meet Housing
Element goals.

A-14
Table A-2: City Progress Report – Evaluating Housing Actions Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) No. Description Responsibility Timeframe Status of Implementation Effectiveness of Action
Appropriateness
of Action
than 50 units in the
Downtown by assigning
them to specialized
planners, for priority permit
processing, management
tracking of applications, and
scheduling of public hearings
for completed applications.
added to the Bureau of Planning to
help process entitlements more
quickly.
has required that
jurisdictions report
the number of
units issued a
completed
entitlement for the
Annual Progress
Report), the City
entitled 14
projects with more
than 50 units in
the Downtown
area, or about
3,135 units. In
addition, from
2018-2021, 2,323
units were
completed in
Downtown in
developments with
more than 50
units. Data from
the 2015-2017
period is not
readily available
due to changes in
reporting
requirements.

ACTION

1.1.3 Streamline Environmental
Review.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
1) ln July 2015, the City of Oakland
released a revised set of Standard
Conditions of Approval, which are
The action is
effective.

The action is
appropriate to
Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
A-15
Table A-2: City Progress Report – Evaluating Housing Actions Since 2015 (Based on 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element) No. Description Responsibility Timeframe Status of Implementation Effectiveness of Action
Appropriateness
of Action
Advocate for new strategies
to streamline the
environmental review
process under the California
Environmental Quality Act
(CEQA).
requirements applied to development
projects that have the effect of
reducing potential environmental
impacts, thereby streamlining
environmental review;
2) The City continues to rely on the
EIRs adopted for recent Specific Plans
when reviewing the CEQA impacts of
individual developments; in many
cases, CEQA requirements are met by
the Specific Plan EIR, which has the
effect of streamlining the
environmental review process;
3) Staff participated with the State
Office of Planning and Research as AB
743 rulemaking proceeded, to replace
Level of Service CEQA thresholds with
more contemporary methodologies for
evaluating potential transportation
impacts during the CEQA process. Staff
submitted written comments and
attended workshops, for a streamlined
approach to the review of
transportation impacts, and began to
work on implementing those revisions
to the transportation analysis using
VMT, instead of LOS, as directed AB
743; and
meet Housing
Element goals.

A-16
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Appropriateness
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4) On October 17, 2016, the City of
Oakland updated its CEQA Thresholds
of Significance Guidelines related to
transportation impacts to implement
the directive from Senate Bill 743
(Steinberg 2013) to modify local
environmental review processes by
removing automobile delay as a
significant impact on the environment
pursuant to CEQA. The new CEQA
thresholds help streamline the
environmental review process for new
infill housing development.

ACTION

1.1.4 International Blvd.

Community Revitalization
Without Displacement
Incentive.

An inter-departmental City
team is working with
residents, businesses,
community groups, the
County and other public
agencies, foundations,
private industry and other
partners to improve
International Blvd. Corridor’s
housing, economic
development, health,
transportation, and public
safety conditions, as well as
to develop strategies to
Department
of Housing &
Community
Development
(DHCD) –
Housing
Assistance
Center/Strate
gic Initiatives
Policy
developme
nt starting
2014-15
The City continued its work to
revitalize the International Boulevard
corridor while also working to increase
the availability of affordable housing
along the corridor.

The following affordable housing
projects have completed construction
or are currently underway along this
corridor:
• Camino 23, a 37-unit
affordable development at
1245 23rd Avenue and
International Boulevard,
completed construction in
2019.

This initiative has
been an effective
means to improve
International Blvd.

Corridor’s housing,
economic
development,
health,
transportation,
and public safety
conditions, as well
as to develop
strategies that
prevent the
displacement of
long-time
residents and
small businesses.

The initiative is
appropriate to
meet Housing
Element goals.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
prevent the displacement of
long-time residents and
small businesses. Key parts
from the City’s award-wining
International Boulevard
Transit Oriented
Development Plan will be
implemented.
• Casa Arabella, a 94-unit
affordable development
adjacent to the Fruitvale BART
station and International
Boulevard corridor,
completed construction in
2019.
• Fruitvale Transit Village Phase
II-B, a 181-unit affordable
development also adjacent to
the Fruitvale BART station, is
currently under construction.
• Ancora Place, a 77-unit
affordable development
located at 2227 International
Blvd, received a commitment
of $4.8 million in City funds,
was awarded $11,740,653 in
Multifamily Housing Program
(MHP) funds and $5,602,112
in Infill Infrastructure Grant
(IIG) funds from the California
Department of Housing and
Community Development.

The developer also applied for
California Housing Accelerator
funding in fall 2021 and
expects an award in 2022.
• 3050 International, a 76-unit
proposed affordable
development, is applying for
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Appropriateness
of Action
funding. The developer
applied for funding from the
City’s New Construction
Notice of Funding Available
(NOFA) and if awarded, will
likely pursue tax credit
funding in 2022.
• A commercial development
located at 2700 International
was acquired by the Unity
Council, who initiated plans to
redevelop the property into a
mixed-use affordable housing
and commercial
development. The Unity
Council applied for funding
from the City’s New
Construction NOFA in January
2022.

In 2020, the City of Oakland, in
partnership with the East Oakland
Neighborhoods Initiative, was awarded
a $28.2 million Transformative Climate
Communities (TCC) Implementation
Grant. The funds will be allocated to
five community revitalization projects,
including one 55-unit affordable
housing development. TCC’s 95th &
International began construction in
2021.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
Oakland Sustainable Neighborhood
Initiative (OSNI) engaged in its final
year with the State Department of
Conservation Grant for promoting
socioeconomic equity on International
Blvd Corridor, successfully completing
the goals as stated in the grant. Along
with OSNI collaborative partners and
Community Planning Leaders, the
following successful outcomes were
achieved:
• Monthly meetings to
collaborate on projects,
outreach and International
Blvd. Bus Rapid Transit
construction updates,
continuing with monthly
meetings through 2018 to
continue collaborating with
stakeholders on projects,
outreach, and small business
sustainability.
• Establishing a community
governance model to help
stabilize neighborhoods and
ensure that Oakland remains
a city for all.
• Implementing the BRT
Business Assistance Program
and Sustainability Fund to
mitigate the displacement of
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Appropriateness
of Action
long-term small businesses,
which conducted outreach to
over 1,1151 businesses along
the BRT route, providing
technical assistance to 874
businesses, and 2 Business
Assistance Grants.
• Supporting HOPE
Collaborative with
implementation of specific
segment of the Elmhurst
Healthy Neighborhood Plan
developed through a
community process.
• Continuing to work with
partners to increase
development of affordable
housing.
• Maintaining the Catalyst
Project Sites for readiness and
support in bringing them to
fruition.

ACTION

1.1.5 Consider expanding the
existing Micro-living quarters
pilot program to the entire
Downtown and Jack London
Square PDA.

Micro-living quarters are
defined in the Oakland
Planning Code as “a
Bureau of
Planning
2015-2020 Micro-units are included in the Land
Use and Urban Form chapter of the
Final Draft Downtown Oakland Specific
Plan. As of December 2021, the draft
zoning to implement the Downtown
Oakland Specific Plan is underway and
includes regulations for micro-units.

The policy is still
under
development,
therefore, there is
no way to evaluate
its effectiveness.

Micro-units are
a housing
product type
that will help to
meet the
significant
demand for
housing.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
multiple-tenant building
with an average net-floor
area of 175 square feet but a
minimum size of 150 square
feet. Bathroom facilities are
included within each living
quarter but cooking facilities
are not allowed within each
living quarter. A shared
kitchen is required on each
floor, the maximum number
units are not prescribed but
the size of the units and the
FAR shall dictate the limits.”
Currently, these facilities
may only be located in the
Broadway Valdez
Commercial Zone, DBV-2
and a small area of the D-BV3 south of Bay Place and are permitted upon the granting
of a Conditional Use Permit.

POLICY 1.2: Availability of Land
ACTION

1.2.1 Land Inventory (Opportunity
Sites).

Develop a list of vacant and
underutilized sites
potentially suitable for
higher density housing,
particularly affordable
Bureau of
Planning
Post to
City’s
website
within 90
days of
adoption
and final
The City's Detailed Land Inventory can
be found on Section 4 and Appendix C
of the 2015-2023 Housing Element,
which continues to be posted to the
City's web page:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
This action is an
effective method
of maintaining an
adequate supply of
land to meet the
regional housing
share under the
The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

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Appropriateness
of Action
housing, and distribute that
list to developers and
nonprofit housing providers
upon request. The
availability of the site
inventory will be posted on
the City’s website after the
City Council adopts the
Housing Element.
certificatio
n (by HCD)
of Housing
Element
/read-the-2015-2023-housingelement. ABAG Regional
Housing Needs
Allocation (RHNA).

POLICY 1.3: Appropriate Locations and Densities for Housing ACTION

1.3.1 Broadway Valdez Specific
Plan (BVSP).

Track progress on the
approval and completion of
the 1,800 housing units
included in the development
program for the Broadway
Valdez Specific Plan (BVSP).

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The Broadway Valdez Specific Plan has
far exceeded its original goal of
enabling the approval and completion
of 1,800 new housing units. As of
December 2021, there are a total of
4,091 housing units in various stages of
completion within the Broadway
Valdez District Specific Plan area:

Built (Completed) = 2,194 housing
units
Under Construction = 450 housing
units
Building Permit Filed = 728 housing
units
Approved, but no building permits =
322 housing units
Applied for, but not approved = 397
housing units
The Broadway
Valdez Specific
Plan was very
effective in
incentivizing
housing with an
EIR that helped to
expedite housing
approval as well as
letting developers
know what the
City and the
community
wanted for this
area. The
development
program that was
created for the
plan allowed for
flexibility with the
The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
The City posts updated maps of
proposed projects and developments
under construction to the City's
Specific Plan website. See "Broadway
Valdez Map" at:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
/view-the-broadway-valdez-specificplan-map
EIR that different
uses could be
changed out
without having to
change the EIR.

The number of
housing units
originally planned
for the area was
1,800 units and
2,149 unit have
already been built
so far. With the
additional units
under
construction, filed
for building
permits, approved
with planning
permits, and
applied for
planning permits
there will be a
total of 4,091
units.

ACTION

1.3.2 Lake Merritt Station Area
Plan (LMSAP).

Track progress on the
approval and completion of
the 4,900 housing units
included in the development
Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to track the
progress of new, residential Major
Projects in the Lake Merritt Station
Area. As of 2021, a total of 1,591 new
dwelling units have been approved,
including: 1,230 market rate units, 44
The action is an
effective method
of tracking
progress on the
approval and
completion of the
The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

A-24
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Appropriateness
of Action
program for the Lake Merritt
Station Area (Specific) Plan
(LMSAP).
moderate-income units, 138 lowincome units, 120 very-low-income units, and 59 extremely-low-income
units. For more information, please
refer to the City’s Major Development
Projects List:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
/download-the-city-of-oakland-majordevelopment-projects-list 4,900 housing
units included in
the development
program for the
Lake Merritt
Station Area
(Specific) Plan
(LMSAP). While
the City has not
yet achieved the
goal of 4,900 units
in the plan area,
housing is in
various stages of
development and
is anticipated to be
constructed in the
6th cycle,
ACTION

1.3.3 West Oakland Specific Plan.

Track progress on the
approval and completion of
the 5,360 housing units
included in the development
program for the West
Oakland Specific Plan
(WOSP).

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to track the
progress of new, residential Major
Projects in the West Oakland Specific
Plan (WOSP). As of 2021, a total of
2,442 new dwelling units have been
approved, including: 1,819 market-rate
units, 156 moderate-income units, 64
low-income units, 300 very-lowincome units, and 103 extremely-lowincome units. For more information, please refer to the City’s Major
Development Projects List:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
The action is an
effective method
of tracking
progress on the
approval and
completion of the
5,360 housing
units included in
the development
program for the
West Oakland
Specific Plan
(WOSP).

The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
/download-the-city-of-oakland-majordevelopment-projects-list ACTION

1.3.4 Coliseum Area Specific Plan
(CASP).

Track progress on the
approval and completion of
the 5,000 housing units
included in the development
program for the Coliseum
Area Specific Plan (CASP).

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to post updated
maps of proposed projects and
developments under construction to
the City's Specific Plan website. See
"Project Status Map and Brochure for
the Coliseum Area Specific Plan" at:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
/read-the-general-plan-amendmentsfor-the-coliseum-area-specific-plan The action is an
effective method
of tracking
progress on the
approval and
completion of the
5,000 housing
units included in
the development
program for the
Coliseum Area
Specific Plan
(CASP).

The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

ACTION

1.3.5 Central Estuary Area Plan
(CEAP).

Track progress on the
approval and completion of
the 400 housing units
included in the development
program for the Central
Estuary Area Plan (CEAP).

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The Planning Bureau's interactive
major projects GIS map (and
associated major projects list)
catalogues developments at least 25
units or have at least 10,000 sq. ft.
total Residential Floor Area that
includes projects in the Central Estuary
area. The interactive map is available
at:
https://oakgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/
webappviewer/index.html?id=e1357d
baeffc473caa57b1227a7a7739
Permitting housing
in the nonindustrial areas of
the Central Estuary
is an important
mechanism to
deliver muchneeded housing.

Build out of
housing in the
non-industrial
areas of the
Central Estuary
is an important
mechanism to
deliver muchneeded housing.

ACTION

1.3.6 Promote new housing
opportunities in the Estuary
Area.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
Progress continued on the
development of 465 units of
affordable housing serving households
The City's efforts
to promote
housing
The objective
dovetailed
appropriately
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Appropriateness
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With the resolution of the
legal challenges to the
Brooklyn Basin project
(formerly Oak-to-Ninth),
new housing is scheduled to
be built in the timeframe of
the 2015-2023 Housing
Element where former
industrial uses
predominated.
between 0-60% of AMI in the Brooklyn
Basin development, which will include
3,100 total new units as well as
commercial and open space. The
affordable units include 258 ProjectBased Section 8 vouchers for all phases from the Oakland Housing Authority
(OHA), which jointly owns the land
with the City. The master developer
has proposed adding another 600 units
of market rate housing to the overall
project (as well as marina space). This
request was heard at the March 23,
2022 Design Review Committee
meeting. Support for the proposal to
add 600 housing units moved forward
and will be heard by the Planning
Commission.

Construction of the 211 affordable
units on Parcel F completed in
December 2020 and achieved 100%
occupancy in 2021. The Parcel F
projects included 101 units of family
housing (Paseo Estero) and 110 units
of senior housing (Vista Estero).

MidPen Housing Corporation, Oakland
Housing Authority, and the City
entered into a Lease Disposition and
opportunities in
the Central Estuary
Area have borne
fruit in the 2015-
2023 cycle. 3,100
units of housing,
including 465 units
of affordable
housing, are
planned,
underway, or
completed in the
Brooklyn Basin
development. The
City has carried
out extensive
efforts, including
planning and
zoning updates,
environmental
remediation, and
direct financial
assistance, to
provide mixedincome housing in
an amenities-rich
environment. The
City's policies and
programs have
been highly
effective.
with the City's
Central Estuary
Plan. As the
Brooklyn Basin
development
nears
completion, this
goal should be
revised in future
housing element
cycles.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
Development Agreement on Project 3
(Foon Lok West) on Parcel A in 2019,
and closed their loan for the 130-unit
Project 3 and started construction in
July 2020, and construction continued
throughout 2021. MidPen is
assembling its financing for Project 4's
(Foon Lok East) remaining 124 units of
family housing, and pending awards
from the new California Housing
Accelerator Fund, is projected to
commence construction in 2022. With
regards to market-rate housing
development of Brooklyn Basin, at the
end of 2021: Parcels B, C, D, G, H and J
are fully entitled (for a total of 1,843
entitled units; of the entitled units, 241
are constructed and occupied).

POLICY 1.4: Secondary Units
ACTION

1.4.1 Secondary Unit – Parking
Solutions.

Explore parking solutions
(tandem parking, compact
parking spaces, etc.) for
secondary units to enable
more secondary units as part
of a Planning Code update of
the City’s parking
regulations. Explore the
option of eliminating the
Bureau of
Planning
2014-2017 The majority of ADUs created in
Oakland do not require additional
parking because they are located
within the 1/2-mile of transit. Tandem
parking is also allowed. This has been
positive for most areas, except for
areas in the Very High Fire Hazard
Severity Zone (VHFHSZ) where lots are
steep and often do not have off-street
parking, streets are narrow, and
reliance on cars is very high. Any
The ADU program
has been very
effective in
creating additional
units of housing
without adding
additional offstreet parking
spaces.

The goals of this
portion of the
ADU ordinance
are appropriate
in creating
additional
housing units
without the
burden of
additional
parking in
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Appropriateness
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existing requirement for a
separate non-tandem
parking space.
additional cars that ADUs bring are
forced to park on the narrow streets
creating emergency access issues and
prompting additional resources for
enforcement of the no-parking rules.

The number of
ADUs permitted
annually can be
found in the City‘s
Housing Element
Annual Progress
Reports (see Table
A3 for APRs 2015-
2017, and Tables A
and A2 for APRs
2018-2021), which
are posted to the
City’s webpage:
https://www.oakla
ndca.gov/docume
nts/housingelement-annualprogress-reports
transit-rich areas
where car
ownership can
be optional. This
preserves
valuable lot
space for
housing or as
valuable open
space instead of
using it for
parking.

However, in
VHFHSZ and S-9
Zone where
roads are
narrow and
public transit is
lacking, offstreet parking or
replacement of
lost parking is
required in some
areas, consistent
with State law.

ACTION

1.4.2 Secondary Unit – Setback
Solutions.

Explore relaxing the current
prohibition on Secondary
Units in the rear setback. If
these zoning changes are
Bureau of
Planning
2014-2017 The City has been approving ADUs
with the regularly required side and
rear setbacks according to State law
requirements. Existing structures that
are converted or rebuilt to ADUs in the
same place and to the same
The ADU program
has been very
effective in
creating additional
units by converting
existing structures
The ADU policy
regarding the
setbacks is
appropriate in
creating
additional
Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
implemented it will allow
Secondary Units in the side
and rear setback, as long as
the structure doesn’t exceed
existing size limits and can
meet all the same standards
that allow a garage or
accessory structure in the
same location.
dimensions are allowed to remain in
their current footprint without
complying with any setbacks. Newly
built ADUs are only required to comply
with 4' side and rear setbacks, which is
significantly less than regularly
required by local zoning regulations. A
recent ordinance amendment further
reduces this setback to 3 feet in some
cases.
on a lot to ADUs
without any
setbacks if they are
converted or
rebuilt in the same
place and to the
same dimensions.

In addition, the 4'
required setbacks
make construction
of newly built
ADUs feasible on
almost any
residential lot and
remove significant
barriers to ADU
production.
housing by
allowing to
convert existing
structures on a
lot into ADUs
without any
setbacks if they
are converted or
rebuilt in the
same place and
to the same
dimensions.

Otherwise, the
required 4'
setbacks make
construction of
newly built ADUs
feasible on
almost any
residential lot
and remove
significant
barriers to ADU
production.

POLICY 1.5: Manufactured Housing
ACTION

1.5.1 Factory-Built Housing.

Continue to implement Cityadopted regulations that
allow manufactured housing
Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to permit factorybuilt housing in all residential & commercial districts.

Factory-built
manufactured
housing becomes
more common
with the ease of
With the
improved
process, it is
appropriate to
allow for
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Appropriateness
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in single-family residential
districts.

In November 2021, City Council
approved the Construction Innovation
Ordinance, which amends the Planning
Code to allow residential occupancy of
recreational vehicles, mobile homes,
and manufactured homes in all zoning
districts where residential uses are
permitted.
construction and
the improved
appearance and
variety of designs.
construction in
any zone where
single-family
residences are
permitted.

POLICY 1.6: Adaptive Reuse
ACTION

1.6.1 Live/Work Conversions.

Allow the conversion of
existing industrial and
commercial buildings to joint
live/work units in specific
commercial and industrial
locations while considering
the impacts on nearby viable
businesses.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
In 2021, the City continues to permit
live/work conversions. Thereby
allowing the conversion of existing
industrial and commercial buildings to
joint live/work units in specific
commercial and industrial locations
while considering the impacts on
nearby viable businesses.

Live/work
conversions
continue to be
permitted in
Oakland. The State
Building Code has
been adopted by
the City to be
applied more
uniformly as in
other cities.

Given Oakland's
extensive stock
of formerly
industrial and
commercial
buildings,
live/work
conversions are
appropriate.

POLICY 1.7: Regional Housing Needs
ACTION

1.7.1 Accommodate 14,765 New
Housing Units.

Designate sufficient sites,
use the City’s regulatory
powers, and provide
financial assistance to
accommodate at least
Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
In addition to housing developments
which are under construction,
approved, or in pre-approval, the
2015-2023 Housing Element identified
sites with the capacity and the zoning
regulations to allow more units than
the Regional Housing Needs Allocation
The City has
effectively met its
RHNA housing
allocation for total
number of units to
be built, but it has
not met the goal of
The policy is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

Appendix A: Evaluation of 2015-2023 Housing Element
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Appropriateness
of Action
14,765 new dwelling units
between January 2014 and
June 2023. This sum
represents the City’s share
of the Bay Area region’s
housing needs as estimated
by the Association of Bay
Area Governments (ABAG).

The City will encourage the
construction of at least
6,919 units for very-low-,
low-, and moderate-income
households.
for Oakland. Table A2 in Annual
Progress Reports provides details on
building starts for each calendar year.

See also the City's Land Inventory
posted to the City's web page:
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/
groups/ceda/documents/policy/oak05
1104.pdf
the percentage of
affordable units
and exceeded the
number of marketrate units built.

GOAL 2: Promote the Development of Adequate Housing for Low- and Moderate-Income Households POLICY 2.1: Affordable Housing Development Programs
ACTION

2.1.1 New Construction and
Substantial Rehabilitation
Housing Development
Program.

Issue annual Notice of
Funding Availability (NOFA)
for the competitive
allocation of affordable
housing funds. Points will be
assigned for addressing City
priorities to ensure that
funds are used to further
policy objectives.

DHCD –
Housing
Development
Services
Ongoing,
2015-23
From 2015-2021, the City has
continued to issue NOFA funds
pursuant to funding being available.

The City released one Notice of
Funding Availability (NOFA) in 2021 for
New Construction of Multifamily
Affordable Housing, with a funding pot
of approximately $15-20 million.

Unlike the 2020 New Construction
NOFA, which was limited to "Pipeline"
projects—projects that had applied for
funding in a previous NOFA round—
the latest NOFA, for which applications
were due in January 2022, was open
for all applicants for new rental
The City's NOFAs
are effective as the
primary method of
delivering
affordable
housing.

This program is
highly
appropriate and
fully consistent
with the Housing
Element. In
future Housing
Element cycles,
it may be
advisable to
clarify that
NOFAs may be
released on a
more or less
frequent basis
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housing proposals. The City also made
funding commitments to projects that
applied for funding under a NOFA for
Acquisition and Conversion to
Affordable Housing (ACAH) of existing
non-deed restricted projects that was
released in late 2020.

The City of Oakland will have spent
approximately $150 million on
affordable housing for the 2015-2023
Housing Element. More information
about City NOFAs is available here:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
/nofa-opportunities
than annually, to
the extent that
funding is
available.

ACTION

2.1.2 Housing Predevelopment
Loan and Grant Program.

Provide loans to nonprofit
housing organizations for
predevelopment expenses
such as preparation of
applications for outside
funding.

DHCD –
Housing
Development
Services
Ongoing,
2015-23
From 2015-2021, the City has
continued to provide predevelopment
loans to nonprofit housing
organizations for predevelopment
expenses. No new projects applied for
or received predevelopment loans in
2021.

The City's
predevelopment
loan program is
effective in
facilitating
predevelopment
activities for the
construction of
affordable
housing. Staff may
seek adjustments
to the maximum
loan amount and
other terms to
The program is
fully appropriate
for the
development of
affordable
housing.

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increase its
effectiveness.

ACTION

2.1.3 Utilize Public Housing
Resources for New
Development.

Work with the Oakland
Housing Authority to
increase housing choices for
low-income families by
utilizing Making Transitions
Work (MTW) voucher
flexibilities toward the
development of new
affordable housing for
extremely-low-, very-low-,
low-, and moderate-income
households.

Oakland
Housing
Authority
Ongoing,
2015-23
In 2015, under MTW authority,
Oakland Housing Authority (OHA)
promoted development of affordable
housing stock by property acquisition,
pre-development and permanent
loans to create new units of affordable
housing and rehabilitate existing units
of affordable housing. During this year
OHA completed construction on
Lakeside Senior and placed 91 new
units in service.

Between 2016 and 2018, no public
housing resources were utilized for
new development activities.

The OHA has continued to assist a
number of affordable housing
developments. In FY 2021, OHA
completed construction on the first
two phases of Brooklyn Basin closed
financing and started construction on
Project 3, known as Foon Lok West. An
additional 53 units were rehabilitated
in OHA’s existing project-based
portfolio.
• Brooklyn Basin - OHA in
partnership with the City of
This action has
been an effective
means of
collaborating with
the Oakland
Housing Authority
to maximize the
benefit of housing
vouchers.

OHA’s affordable
housing
development
activity over the
past ten years has
been strategic,
significant and
impactful. OHA has
developed on its
own, or partnered
with nine different
affordable housing
developers, on
fifteen major
projects adding
1,922 units of new
affordable housing
since 2008 with a
The action is
fully appropriate
for the
expansion of
affordable
housing
opportunities, as
long as “public
housing” refers
to “affordable
housing” and
not a specific
“public housing”
program.

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Oakland and MidPen Housing
Corporation is developing 465
units of affordable housing for
low-income families and
seniors as part of the
Brooklyn Basin master
planned community.
• In FY 2021, Project 3, known
as Foon Lok West, which
includes 130 units for families
and formerly homeless
households (65 assisted with
PBVs) closed all financing and
started construction.
• Construction was completed
on 211 units (132 assisted
with PBVs) at Projects 1 and
2, known as Paseo Estero and
Vista Estero. Lease up was
completed in 2021 and 101
family units (50 of which are
PBV) were leased in Paseo
Estero and 110 senior housing
units (82 of which are served
with PBVs) were leased.
• 285 12th Street - OHA is
partnering with the East Bay
Asian Local Development
Corporation (EBALDC) to
construct affordable housing
to include 65 units and 3,500
combined total
development cost
of over $763M.

OHA’s capital
contribution to
these projects
($92M) represents
12% of the overall
financing required.

In addition to
providing capital
directly to these
projects, OHA
awarded 719
project-based
vouchers (PBVs)
using MTW
flexibility, which
were used to
leverage $75M in
additional private
debt financing.

OHA’s capital
contribution and
award of PBVs
together
contributed
approximately 22%
of the total cost
for fifteen major
projects.

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square feet of commercial
space. The site is currently
vacant and centrally located
in downtown Oakland near
several BART stations. OHA
has committed to providing
PBVs for 16 units. The project
received NEPA clearance
during FY 2021.
• 500 Lake Park Avenue – OHA
is partnering with EAH
Housing to construct a 53-unit
affordable housing building
with 2,900 square feet of
retail space at 500 Lake Park
Avenue in the Grand Lake
district of Oakland. The
project received NEPA
clearance in FY 2021. Also,
during FY 2021, OHA acquired
the land and provided a loan
to EAH to continue funding
predevelopment activities for
the project.
• 6946 Foothill Blvd - OHA and
its affiliate OHI conducted
predevelopment planning to
rehabilitate and preserve 65
units of affordable housing
using low-income housing tax
credits.

OHA strategically
purchased the land
on 13 of the 15
projects to ensure
that the housing
will remain in
reach of a stable
public agency
committed to the
preservation of
affordable housing
in perpetuity. The
disposition of
1,615 units of
scattered site
public housing at
the beginning of
the decade has
proved especially
fortuitous as the
value of this real
estate combined
with low-income
housing tax credits
(LIHTC) and MTW
flexibilities, will
allow OHA to
facilitate future
building and
redevelopment of
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• 7526 MacArthur Blvd
Repositioning – OHA
conducted a feasibility study
on developing affordable
housing on an OHA-owned
vacant parcel at 7526
MacArthur Boulevard in order
to meet Oakland’s need for
additional permanent
affordable housing.
• Lion Creek Crossing Phase I LP
Buyout – OHA exercised its
option to purchase the
Limited Partner interest in
Lion Creek Crossings Phase I.
new units within
these sites at a
fraction of the
typical cost to
develop.

As a direct result
of OHA’s
development
activities, over 421
low-income,
Section 3 eligible
Oakland residents
have been newly
hired on OHA’s
major
development
projects.

Additionally, OHA
projects have
helped preserve
diversity by
creating
opportunities for
low-income
residents to live in
central locations,
also known as high
opportunity areas.

POLICY 2.2: Affordable Homeownership Opportunities
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ACTION

2.2.1 First Time Homebuyer
Programs.

Continue to operate a First
Time Homebuyer Program as
funding is available (either
through State funding or
through program-related
income).

DHCD –
Housing
Development
Services
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continued to operate First
Time Homebuyer Programs as funding
was available (either through State
funding or through program-related
income). In 2021 the Mortgage
Assistance Program (MAP) program
made one loan with the last $15,000 of
program funds to assist a first time
homebuyer. In 2015-2021 the
programs issued 121 loans totaling
$6,782,346.

This program is
effective, and is
very effective in
assisting low- and
moderate-income
homebuyers to
acquire homes, in
slowing the effects
of gentrification,
and in providing
equitable
opportunities for
ownership and
wealth-building
among
disadvantaged
communities. The
City will continue
to fund first time
homebuyer loans
as funds are
available.

The allocation of
these first-time
homebuyer
loans was in
alignment with
this program's
goals as planned
and as stated in
the Housing
Element's policy
guidance. The
goals are
achieved when
down payment
assistance is
provided to
assist low- and
moderateincome buyers
with low access
to assets and
credit to secure
long term
affordable
housing through
ownership, the
greater
community
benefits by
retaining a
diversity of
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homeowners
including those
earning low to
moderate
incomes.

ACTION

2.2.2 Scattered-Site Single Family
Acquisition and
Rehabilitation Program.

City staff and non-profit
partners have developed the
Oakland Community Buying
Program that will address
vacant or abandoned
housing due to foreclosures
or property tax liens. Startup
funds for this program have
been identified. Funding will
be used to provide long term
affordability of new housing
developed. The final housing
products will be single family
homes for re-sale, lease-toown, or for rent and if
financially viable and
operational capacity exists,
will partner with community
land trusts or otherwise
incorporate resale
restrictions to preserve
affordability for Oakland
DHCD –
Housing
Assistance
Center/Strate
gic Initiatives
Program
implement
ation
beginning
2014-15
The Oakland Community Buying
Program acquired 26 sites in 2017 and
of those, 24 were placed for
development and sale to moderateincome homebuyers through the Oaktown Roots Affordable Homes pilot
program. In calendar year 2021, the
Oaktown Roots pilot program received
5 applications. Six households
completed purchases of newly built
single-family homes that were
previously blighted lots. One additional
home is nearly complete, and 5 parcels
remain to be developed. In the 2015-
2021 period there were 18 units
developed and closed.

Also see Actions 2.2.4 and 4.3.4.

The program has
been effective at
turning blighted
properties to new
construction
single-family
dwelling for larger
households.

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residents (see also Action

4.3.4).

ACTION

2.2.3 Foreclosure Mitigation Pilot
Loan Program.

Given that the City’s
foreclosure crisis is currently
(2014) impacting long-time
Oakland homeowners, the
City has been engaging in
new innovative strategies,
such as launching a
comprehensive program
connecting door-to-door
outreach with legal and
housing counseling services,
City escalation with bank
officials, and the
development of new loan
fund programs. In addition,
the City has been working on
the development of a
distressed mortgage notes
program in order to
purchase delinquent
mortgage notes, modify
loans of qualified
homeowners, assist
homeowners who are not
able to receive modifications
with alternative housing
solutions, and then dispose
DHCD –
Housing
Assistance
Center/Strate
gic Initiatives
Program
implement
ation
beginning
2014-15
While the City no longer funds the
Foreclosure Mitigation Pilot Loan
Program, the City continued operation
of its an Anti-Displacement Program
(Oakland Housing Secure [OHS]-
Homeowner Assistance) from October
2020 through September 30, 2021.

Centro Legal de la Raza (program
administrator) along with Housing and
Economic Rights Advocates (HERA)
provided emergency financial
assistance to homeowners, legal
representation, consultations,
workshops, outreach, education, and
other services to prevent foreclosure
of property. Thirty-two homeowners
received financial assistance and 498
homeowners benefitted from other
services offered through OHS. This
program is closed out as of September
2021. No new funding has been
identified for FY 2021/22 and forward.

The demand for
this service,
particularly
emergency
mortgage
assistance, far
exceeded
resources
available. Legal
representation
successfully
resolved legal
matters for more
than 50% of
homeowners, who
also reported
improved housing
stability through:
avoiding an
eviction, avoiding
homelessness, or
securing time
and/or money to
maintain housing.

However, Centro
Legal reported that
mortgage services
are slow and
difficult to deal
The scope of
Oakland Housing
Secure (OHS) to
support
homeowners is
important work,
though this was
one time
funding that
ended in
September
2021. The City,
HERA, Central
Legal De La Raza
and other
agencies provide
support for
homeowners
and renters, and
rental assistance
work continues
under the City’s
Keep Oakland
Housed (KOH)
program.

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of vacant properties to result
in new affordable
homeownership
opportunities.
with, as if little has
changed since the
foreclosure crisis.

During the COVID19 pandemic, the
City’s focus has
been on keeping
renters housed
using Federal
Relief funds.

ACTION

2.2.4 Community Buying Program.

The Community Buying
Program seeks to assist
Oakland residents (either
those people who have lost
their homes to foreclosure
or tenants residing in
foreclosed properties or who
have been unable to
compete with all cash
investors on the open
market) to purchase
properties from the
Scattered-Site Single Family
Acquisition and
Rehabilitation Program
(Action 2.2.2 above) or other
similar foreclosed housing.

Should public funds be
utilized, the City would
assure the long-term
DHCD –
Housing
Assistance
Center/Strate
gic Initiatives
Program
implement
ation
beginning
2014-15
The Oakland Community Buying
Program acquired 26 sites in 2017 and
of those, 24 were placed for
development and sale to moderate
income homebuyers through the
Oaktown Roots Affordable Homes pilot
program. In calendar year 2021 the
Oaktown Roots pilot program received
5 applications. Six households
completed purchases of newly built
single-family homes that were
previously blighted lots. One additional
home is nearly complete, and 5 parcels
remain to be developed. In the 2015-
2021 period there were 18 units
developed and closed.

See also Action 6.4.1.

The program
effectiveness has
declined since the
majority of credit
provided to the
community is not
provided through
local brick and
mortar banks.

In past years,
HCD budgeted
approximately
$20,000 for a
periodic Nexxus
study to
determine the
community's
credit needs.

Separately, at
the time of
Treasury's
periodic RFP for
fiscal services,
HCD would
survey local
brick and mortar
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banks for their
lending practices
and collate this
data for review
as part of the
Linked Banking
Program. In
2021 neither
activity was
scheduled. The
appropriateness
has declined
since today's
local brick and
mortar banks
supply only a
fraction of the
mortgage credit
in comparison to
the prior
decades. The
internet and the
proliferation of
non-bank
mortgage
lending options
have expanded
consumer
options and are
not captured in
the banking
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Appropriateness
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practices
studies.

ACTION

6.4.3 Community Outreach and
Predatory Lending Controls.

Discourage the practice of
predatory lending which falls
most heavily on low-income
seniors and minorities, by
financially supporting
nonprofit organizations that
investigate such practices,
referring complaints to the
appropriate legal authority,
and providing consumer
information on how to avoid
predatory lending. Outreach
efforts by non-profit
organizations will include
door-to-door outreach and
funding legal services on
foreclosure counseling and
prevention.

DHCD –
Housing
Assistance
Center/Strate
gic Initiatives;
Financial
Services
Agency,
Treasury
Division
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City of Oakland provides resource
information on predatory lending on
its website:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/resources
/predatory-lending
Community outreach around
predatory lending practices is not
contracted by the City. However,
agencies such as HERA, Consumer
Credit Counseling and other agencies
provide outreach and services around
predatory lending.

To encourage more resilient and
informed buyers in our community,
the City's Homeownership Programs
provides monthly homebuyer
education to prospective buyers. The
curriculum informs potential buyers on
the homebuying process, puts them in
touch with assistance resources
including the City's assistance
programs as well as other area
benefits and assistance, and
introduces them to community
lenders, real estate professionals, and
HUD-certified housing counselors. In
The Department of
Housing and
Community
Development
Strategic Initiatives
Section has been
effective in
implementing
predatory lending
prevention
strategies
This program is
effective and will
be continued
into the next
Housing Element
planning period
2023-2031. In
future Housing
Element cycles,
this measure
should be
combined with
Action 2.2.3.

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2020 the City enrolled 224 students
and issued certificates of completion
to 97 class attendees before the live
workshops were discontinued due to
the COVID-19 pandemic. In March
2020, the City switched strategies to
referring homebuyers to our local
partners certified to provide HUDcertified Homebuyer Education using remote live classes and online
education.

As described in Action 6.1.4 “Housing
Resource Center”, the City of
Oakland's Housing Resource Center
provides assistance to residents who
may be victims of foreclosure and
predatory lending. In many cases, the
Center refers such cases to Housing &
Economic Rights Advocates (HERA).

POLICY 6.5: Accountability
ACTION

6.5.1 Housing Element Annual
Progress Report.

Submit, on an annual basis
by April 1, a report to the
California Department of
Housing and Community
Development on progress
made by the City of Oakland
on policies adopted in the
Planning
Bureau;
DHCD –
Policy and
Programs
On an
annual
basis by
April 1
The Housing Element Annual Progress
Report (APR) is due to the Department
of Housing and Community
Development (HCD) and the
Governor’s Office of Planning and
Research (OPR) by April 1st each year.

The City has continued to submit APRs
during the period, and APRs from
previous years can be found on the
This policy is an
effective tool to
promote
accountability by
the City to the
policies it has
slated in the
Housing Element.

The action is
appropriate to
the Housing
Element.

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2015-2023 Housing Element
(as required by state law).

The City will also conduct
annual public hearings
before the Planning
Commission and City Council
to review and consider the
Annual Progress Report
within 30 days of its
submittal to the State of
California, and will post
copies of the report on the
City’s website.

City's website, here:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/housing-element-annual-progressreports
GOAL 7: Promote Sustainable Development and Sustainable Communities POLICY 7.1: Sustainable Residential Development Programs ACTION

7.1.1 Promote Green Building
Design for Private
Development.

Continue to foster the
design and building of
durable, low-maintenance
dwellings and make
optimum use of existing
infrastructure through an
expanded physical and
internet-based Green
Building Resource Center.

Design features, such as
“green roofs”, tree planting,
open space devoted to food
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
Since 2015, the City continued to staff
the Green Building Resource Center,
and enforces the Oakland Green
Building Ordinance (first adopted in
2010). The website continues to
provide information to developers:
(www.oaklandgreenbuilding.com). The
City encourages participation in the
Energy Upgrade California in Alameda
County program by providing handouts
at the Green Building Resource Center
and on the website.

The City's planning
and building staff
enforce the
Oakland Green
Building
Ordinance. The
City's adopted
Energy and
Climate Action
Plan encourages
the construction of
new and largely
renovated
buildings with
energy efficient
The City is
committed to
promoting
Green Building
for private
development,
this action is
appropriate for
the 2023-2031
Housing
Element.

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production and electric
vehicle charging stations,
among others, are all
supported by the ECAP for
private housing
development.
techniques and
materials.

ACTION

7.1.2 Green Building Standards.

Continue to require all new
residential construction, and
single-family additions and
alterations to demonstrate
compliance with an
approved green building
standard. Consider revising
the Green Building
Ordinance for Private
Development to include
multi-family additions and
alterations. Increase
enforcement of green
building and building energy
codes.

Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
Since 2015, green building standards
are required for projects which meet
the thresholds in the Green Building
ordinance, in both the small project
design review process, and for the
regular design review applications
(known as "planning entitlements"). All
new buildings must now have some
level of readiness for plug-in electric
vehicle (PEV) charging, exceeding
CalGreen standards.

The policy is
effective.

The action is
appropriate to
meet Housing
Element goals.

ACTION

7.1.3 Require Green Building
Design requirements for Cityfunded Development.

All City-funded housing
developments require
certification under
BuildItGreen.org’s
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City adopted its Green Building
ordinance in October 2010, and has
continued to regularly apply it to
multifamily affordable housing
development. In the City's NOFA, new
development and rehabilitation
projects must meet a minimum score
in each Green Point Checklist category.

The policy is
effective.

The action is
appropriate to
meet Housing
Element goals.

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GreenPoint Rated or LEED
certifications systems.

Projects scoring higher in the Green
Point Checklist evaluation, or which
achieve LEED Gold level or higher are
given preference in the NOFA scoring
process.

POLICY 7.2: Minimize Energy and Water Consumption
ACTION

7.2.1 Energy-Efficiency and
Weatherization Programs.

Pursue opportunities, in
partnership with regional,
state, and utility partners
when appropriate, to
augment existing or create
new residential energy
programs, and market these
programs to minimize
consumption of energy
throughout the community,
through conservation and
efficiency. Such programs
may include Property-Based
Energy Financing, Rightsizing of Energy Equipment
Guidelines, green building
standards within existing
housing rehabilitation
programs, Weatherization
and Energy Retrofit Loan
Program, Renter-Occupied
Residential Energy Program,
Environment
al Services
(PWA), with
input from all
agencies
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City helped launch and is a
participant in the Bay Area Regional
Energy Network (BayREN), also funded
by PG&E utility ratepayers, to enhance
delivery of their programs within
Oakland. This includes the Home
Upgrade and Advanced Home Upgrade
programs (part of Energy Upgrade
California), and Bay Area Multifamily
Building Enhancements Program
(BAMBE). These programs serve more
than 1,000 units per year in reducing
energy and water consumption of
homes in Oakland. The City works
directly with the California Youth
Energy Services (CYES) program,
subsidized by PG&E, which provides
vocational building energy training to
Oakland youth and serves at least 200
Oakland homes annually, including
renters and focusing primarily on
lower-income residents, with energy
efficiency and conservation measures
each Summer. More than 20 Property
These approaches
have combined to
create a highly
effective approach
to energy
efficiency and
conservation in
existing buildings.

These programs
are an
appropriate
method of
implementing
the relevant
goals on
reducing energy
cost burdens for
residents.

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Energy Upgrade California,
and adoption of Energy
Improvement at Time of Sale
Ordinance.

Assessed Clean Energy (PACE)
financing programs are currently
operating in the City, providing
financing on the property tax bill for
residences and businesses to conduct
energy and water efficiency projects,
install renewable energy systems, and
install electric vehicle charging
equipment. The City is also working
with EBCE and BayREN to install clean
electric technologies in homes and
businesses to replace natural gas
systems, utilizing a combination of
State and regional funding sources to
lower the costs of installing heat pump
water heaters, heat pump space
heating and cooling systems, and
induction cooktops. The City has
initiated a lending program for
induction cooktops to expand
awareness of and access to such new
technologies. Finally, the City is using
its Measure KK infrastructure bond
funding, along with federal CARES Act
funding, to install a wide array of
efficient energy systems in municipal
buildings.

ACTION

7.2.2 Alternative Energy
Production.

Continue to review plans for
residential construction,
Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building;
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City of Oakland has continued to
issue permits for a high number of
residential solar PV systems, passing
more than 8,200 installations and
The policies and
programs have
generated
significant
This continues to
be an
appropriate
method of
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taking into account building
orientation, street layout, lot
design, planting, and street
tree configuration, with the
intent of maximizing solar
access and cooling
opportunities. Assist the
public to generate
renewable energy by posting
information on the City
website that offers content
created by the City and links
to web pages hosted by
other organizations.

Examples of materials
include: a solar energy
generation calculator, and a
guide about proper
maintenance and disposal of
solar and other renewable
energy generation systems.

Provide information about
solar and renewable energy
incentives and resources in
conjunction with all
residential rehabilitation
projects. Continue to be a
municipal policy leader by
providing streamlined and
advanced permitting
processes, and by actively
Environment
al Services
(PWA)
more than 49 MW of installed solar
capacity as of September 2021. The
most significant source of renewable
energy production serving Oakland
comes as a result of the City's
participation in East Bay Community
Energy (EBCE), a community choice
aggregator serving most of Alameda
County. EBCE became the default
electricity provider for all residences in
Oakland in 2018, providing a minimum
of 85% carbon free electricity. This
electricity is generated from
hydroelectric dams, solar PV,
concentrated solar power, wind
turbines, and geothermal energy
sources. In addition, EBCE is serving
100 percent carbon free electricity to
all accounts who elect to receive it in
Oakland, including all municipal
accounts of the City of Oakland.

Oakland will receive a portion of
power from the Scott Haggerty Wind
Center project, a 57 MW renewable
energy facility opened in Livermore in
2021. The generation of renewable
energy from the EBCE program far
exceeds local solar PV production, and
will serve as the primary means of
ensuring high levels of alternative
progress in
building and
operating
renewable energy
systems in support
of homes. The
approach is
effective.
expanding
renewable
energy systems,
although pairing
with some
elements of
energy storage
and resilience
are likely
warranted in
future Housing
Elements.

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sharing Oakland’s solar
permitting Best Practices
with others.
energy production for the foreseeable
future.

ACTION

7.2.3 Facilitate a Community Solar
Program.

Encourage and collaborate
with local partners to launch
a community solar program,
to increase local use of
renewable energy, including
solar-thermal energy to
produce heat and hot water.

Environment
al Services
(PWA), with
input from all
agencies
Ongoing,
2015-23
Multiple community solar options now
exist for Oakland ratepayers, including
options with East Bay Community
Energy and independently through
developments in the private energy
marketplace. Additionally, the City is
worked with the Oakland EcoBlock
project team, a pilot project of various
academic and industry partners, to
facilitate a shared solar approach to
neighborhood-scale retrofits of solar
PV in existing neighborhoods. This
effort was recently funded $5 million
by the California Energy Commission.

This approach has
been effective in
providing residents
options for
accessing
renewable energy,
regardless of home
ownership or site
conditions.

With the
availability of
renewable
energy products
through CCAs
(East Bay
Community
Energy) and
IOUs (Pacific Gas
and Electric), the
sole focus on
community solar
is no longer an
appropriate
means of
providing the
intended access.

ACTION

7.2.4 Technical Assistance.

Continue to educate
applicants and residents
about the advantages of
energy conservation and
provide technical assistance
to help new construction or
remodeling projects achieve
superior levels of energy
efficiency.

Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to collaborate with
East Bay Energy Watch (EBEW) and the
Bay Area Regional Energy Network
(BayREN), working directly with
program implementers and PG&E to
enhance local program delivery, and
participating on the EBEW Strategic
Advisory Committee.

The program is an
effective way to
partner with East
Bay Municipal
Utility District, the
water provider to
the City, and has
made
demonstrable
reduction to
The organization
of this action
remains relevant
and appropriate
for facilitating
partnerships to
lead to water
use reductions in
residential
settings.

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In July 2020, the City Council adopted
the Equitable Climate Action Plan
(ECAP), a ten-year strategic and policy
plan to reduce energy consumption
and expedite the transition away from
fossil fuel use. This Plan contains
policies to expand and deepen energy
efficiency, renewable energy,
decarbonization, and electric vehicle
programs and reduce energy cost
burden for all members of the
community. In December 2020, the
City Council passed a requirement for
newly constructed buildings to be allelectric design, eliminating natural gas connections in such buildings. These
efforts, in addition to ongoing energy
programs, serve to reduce energy use
among Oaklanders and facilitate the
transition to cleaner energy sources.
potable water use
in the City.

ACTION

7.2.5 Promote Water Conservation
and Efficiency.

Expand promotion of water
conservation and efficiency
practices such as waterefficient landscaping,
irrigation, lawn replacement,
rainwater collection,
greywater systems, and the
installation of water efficient
fixtures and plumbing. In
Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building;
Environment
al Services
(PWA)
Ongoing,
2015-23
Efforts to educate residents and
commercial tenants about the
advantages of energy efficiency and
water conservation through EBMUD
and Stopwaste continued through the
period, as well as education via EBEW
and the BayREN programs. Oakland
City Council passed the Civic Bay
Friendly Landscape Ordinance to
require water efficiency in all public
landscaping projects.

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Appropriateness
of Action
affordable housing
developments, this will
reduce utility bills, freeing up
more resources to pay rent
or a mortgage.
potable water use
in the City.

POLICY 7.3: Encourage Development that reduces Carbon Emissions ACTION

7.3.1 Mixed Use Development
Incentives.

Provide development
incentives for construction
projects that mix land uses,
build compactly, and ensure
safe and inviting pedestrian
corridors. Allowing uses in
close proximity to one
another encourages walking
and bicycling, instead of
automotive trips.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
With the update of the commercial
and residential zoning districts in the
City, and with the success of new
private development applications in
adopted Specific Plan areas (Broadway
Valdez, Lake Merritt BART, West
Oakland), the City continues to
encourage development of mixed-use
buildings in commercial areas. Specific
Plans, with their certified EIRs, are
considered an incentive for the
construction of new housing. The
current Specific planning process for
the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan,
continued work on the Final EIR, Final
Plan, Zoning, and meetings on a Zoning
Incentive Program as part of the
implementation. The Draft Plan and
DEIR documents can be found here:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/draft-dosp-eir
The Specific Plans
have been very
effective in
providing an
incentive with
certified EIRs and
development
programs for
developers to build
housing in an
expedited manner.

The policy is
appropriate to
Housing Element
goals.

ACTION

7.3.2 Transit-Oriented
Development.

Bureau of
Planning
2014-2017 Construction is now complete of Phase
5 of "MacArthur Station" at the BART
parking lot, including a 260-foot tall
This action is
effective. During
the planning
This action is
appropriate for
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Evaluate the existing S-15
Transit Oriented
Development zone, and
consider if its development
standards for areas near
transit stations or major
transit nodes are allowing
for higher density housing
with commercial
development in close
proximity to BART in ways
that improve neighborhood
livability. Develop and
require transit-oriented
performance criteria for
associated miles traveled
and transportation mode
share.
building with 402 market-rate and
affordable residential units. Panoramic
Interests is seeking building permits
related to the approved 500 Kirkham
project located two blocks southeast
of the West Oakland BART Station (and
in the S-15 zone). In 2016, "Mural" by
BRIDGE housing was completed at
MacArthur BART, with 90 affordable
units. The City previously adopted
revisions to the transportation analysis
using Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT),
instead of Level of Service, as directed
by AB 743 (see Action 1.1.3). BART and
its developer are seeking entitlement
of transit-oriented development
(including both market-rate and
affordable housing) surrounding the
Lake Merritt BART Station.
period, 402 market
rate and
affordable units
were constructed
through Phase 5 of
the MacArthur
Station project,
and 1,032
residential units
were approved for
the 500 Kirkham
site, located two
blocks southeast of
the West Oakland
BART Station.
the Housing
Element.

ACTION

7.3.3 Implement SB 375
provisions, direct new
housing to be built in Priority
Development Areas.

Implement the provisions of
State Bill (SB) 375 and
regional agency rule-making,
following their adoption. The
City will continue to
encourage mixed-use, infill,
and transit development in
designated Priority
Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
Priority Development Area (PDA) site
Inventories were updated in 2019. The
Association of Bay Area Governments
(ABAG) and Metropolitan
Transportation Commission (MTC)
allowed for modifications of existing
PDAs to occur at the administrative
level. Planning staff recommended
changes to existing PDAs and
submitted the proposal to ABAG and
MTC on September 16th, 2019. The
updated PDAs were adopted by the
"Plan Bay Area"
was adopted in
July, 2013.

The action is
effective. Updating
the PDA site
inventory allows
the City to apply
for affordable
housing
development
The City will
continue to
encourage new
housing
development in
Priority
Development
Area (PDA's) as
identified in
"Plan Bay Area."
This action will
be continued
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Development Areas. (See
also Policy 1.1).

MTC and ABAG executive bodies on
July 16, 2020. These updated
designations are comprised of
relatively minor modifications to
existing PDAs that went through
extensive community processes in
previous years. See “2019 Proposed
PDA map” for a map of existing PDAs
following this year’s update and “2019
Proposed PDA Map Showing Changes
to Existing PDAs” for a map outlining
the changes. Both maps can be found
online:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/priority-development-areas-pdas-1
These updated PDAs can also be found
on MTC's website:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/priority-development-areas-pdas-1
grants for projects
located in PDAs.
into the 2023-
2031 Housing
Element.

ACTION

7.3.4 Integrate Land Use and
Transportation Planning in
Major Residential Projects.

Require the integration of
land use and transportation
planning and consideration
of Greenhouse Gas (GHG)
reduction opportunities in
each planning, major
development project, and
Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City effectively implements this
action through the application of the
Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP)
checklist and requirement for
compliance with transportation
demand management (TDM)
measures. This applies to all major
project case files.

The action is
effective.

The action is
appropriate.

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planning effort undertaken
by the City.

ACTION

7.3.5 Encourage New Housing at a
Range of Prices.

Actively promote the
construction of housing at a
range of price levels near
transit hubs and corridors in
balance with local
employment opportunities
to meet the needs of
Oakland’s workforce.

Consider adoption of a
transit-oriented
development affordability
policy, including
preservation of existing
affordability.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City, in concert with various
agencies and organizations, has
continued to promote the construction
and preservation of housing at a range
of price levels near transit hubs and
corridors:
• Predevelopment activities
continued at Lakehouse
Commons, a 91-unit
affordable development
within the Lake Merritt
Station Area.
• Rehabilitation continued and
was nearly completed at
Frank G Mar Apartments, an
existing 119-unit affordable
housing development located
within the Lake Merritt
Station Area Plan.
• Construction began at
Fruitvale Transit Village Phase
II-B, a 181-unit affordable
development adjacent to the
Fruitvale BART station.

Construction is expected to
be complete in 2023.

The City has
successfully
advanced policies
on a somewhat ad
hoc basis to
encourage highdensity housing at
a range of income
levels near transit
stations. A more
comprehensive
uniform policy may
be warranted for
future Housing
Element cycles.

Dense
development
near transit is a
primary tool for
reducing carbon
emissions.

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ACTION

7.4.1 Compact Building Design.

Work with developers to
encourage, where feasible,
buildings to grow vertically
rather than horizontally and
to incorporate structured
parking rather than surface
parking, to preserve and
encourage ground-level
open space.

Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
This design standard continues to be
recommended in the City's design
guidelines for multi-family buildings on
commercial corridors. See website:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/document
s/design-guidelines-for-commercialand-corridor-areas
This program has
been effective in
encouraging
maximizing use of
sites.

The policy is
appropriate to
Housing Element
goals.

ACTION

7.4.2 Waste Reduction.

Continue to review and
enforce adequate recycling
and organic matter
allocation areas. Encourage,
where feasible, multifamily
developments to comply
with the City’s Zero Waste
Plan.

Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to meet with
applicants to advise on the space
allocated in buildings and on grounds.

Section 9 of the City's Basic Application
for Development Review requires
applicants to provide sufficient space
for the storage and collection of
recyclable and organic materials to
comply with SB 1383 and Ordinance
No. 11807 – Recycling Space Allocation
Requirements. Planning staff continues
to review the recycling ordinance
requirements at building permit plan
check.

The effectiveness
of this action has
not been
calculated.

The policy is still
appropriate for
the types of new
development
envisioned by
the City's
Planning Code
and the new
Specific Plans.

ACTION

7.4.3 Foster Healthy Indoor Air
Quality.

Encourage, where feasible,
the use of zero-VOC
materials to improve indoor
air quality (e.g., paints,
Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to apply its
Standard Conditions of Approval for
planning entitlements, as well as
enforced regulations in the Green
Building Ordinance, each of which
improve indoor air quality, with
The effectiveness
of this action has
not been
calculated.

The policy is still
appropriate for
the types of new
development
envisioned by
the City's
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adhesives). Require
measures to reduce the
impact of air pollution on
new housing (e.g., air filters).
techniques such as requiring the
installation of air filters with
prescribed MERV ratings.

Planning Code
and the new
Specific Plans.

ACTION

7.4.4 Recycled, Reclaimed or
Renewable content of
Building Materials.

Encourage, where feasible,
the use of environmentally
preferable building
materials. Encourage, where
feasible, the re-use of
building materials to reduce
construction waste.

Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City continues to enforce the
Oakland Green Building Ordinance,
with provisions for the use of building
materials with recycled content in the
construction of new multifamily
housing, through the application of the
Green Point Rated and the LEED for
Homes checklists.

The effectiveness
of this action has
not been
calculated.

The policy is still
appropriate for
the types of new
development
envisioned by
the City's
Planning Code
and the new
Specific Plans.

ACTION

7.4.5 Re-Use and Rehabilitation of
Historic Materials.

Encourage the reuse and
rehabilitation of the City’s
historic building stock, using
Policy D6.2 of the Land Use
and Transportation Element
of the Oakland General Plan
as a guide, to increase
neighborhood character and
to preserve the energy
embodied in the building’s
original construction.

Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building
Ongoing,
2015-23
The City encourages the reuse and
rehabilitation of the City’s historic
building stock, using Policy D6.2 of the
Land Use and Transportation Element
and the entire Historic Preservation
Element of the Oakland General Plan
as guides, to maintain and enhance
neighborhood character and to
preserve the energy and design
integrity embodied in the buildings’
original construction.

Planning staff
consistently
encourages
applicants to
retain and
rehabilitate
existing buildings,
citing a smoother
review process,
savings of time and
money, California
Historical Building
Code and other
code
accommodations
for existing
Existing
buildings
support
“naturally
occurring
affordable
housing.”
Growing
environmental
concerns
support the
slogan “The
greenest
building is the
one that is
already built.”
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buildings, the
City’s pioneering
1978 publication
Rehab Right, and
deterrents
including the
demolition
regulations in the
Planning Code.

Residential and
work-live adaptive
reuse of
commercial and
industrial buildings
continues, often
facilitated by use
of the Historical
Building Code.

ACTION

7.4.6 Encourage Food Production
in Open Space Areas.

Encourage the inclusion of
food-producing gardens,
including rooftop gardens, in
private development, where
appropriate, with
consideration of Bay Friendly
landscaping principles.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
In 2014, the City of Oakland adopted
new urban agriculture regulations as a
way for Oakland residents to provide
more healthy food to their families and
communities. In addition, allowing
more urban farming has beautified
vacant lots and fostered a sense of
community in local neighborhoods,
especially in respect to Community
Gardens. The City Council adoption of
amendments to the City’s Agricultural
Regulations advanced Oakland’s
sustainable food system goals.

The policy is
effective.

The action is
appropriate to
meet Housing
Element goals.

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POLICY 7.5: Climate Adaptation and Neighborhood Resiliency ACTION

7.5.1 Climate Change and the
Planning Process.

Consider qualitative and
quantitative information
regarding the potential
effects of climate change
during the project plan
review process. Consider
Oakland Planning Code
amendments to limit certain
vulnerable land uses (i.e.
emergency, affordable,
senior, or assisted living
housing) in areas identified
as vulnerable to climate
change. Consider design
review requirements for
buildings to improve climate
resiliency.

Bureau of
Planning
Ongoing,
2015-23
In 2021, the City adopted a new 2021-
2026 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan,
which identifies priority actions to
address the effects of natural hazards,
including climate change. Also, in
2016, the City released the "Resilient
Oakland Playbook" which includes a
goal to "reduce current and future
climate and seismic risks." Further, the
Bureau of Planning was co-Chair, with
the Oakland Sustainability office, on a
multi-agency Sea Level Rise working
group; the final report was issued in
Fall 2017. See:
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/
groups/pwa/documents/report/oak06
8799.pdf

Beyond these efforts, the City revised
its scoring criteria for its Capital
Improvements Program (CIP) to score
sustainability and resiliency in all
capital projects in 2019. The City
requires all staff reports to evaluate
sustainability opportunities as part of
project review and presentation to City
Council. Additional climate adaptation
and resilience programs and policies
were adopted as part of the City
This approach is an
effective way to
document the role
that climate action
and resiliency
planning are
having on
providing safe and
affordable housing
at all income
levels.

The organization
of this section
remains relevant
and appropriate
for ensuring that
local climate and
resilience
planning are
supporting
broad housing
targets.

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Council's adoption of the Equitable
Climate Action Plan (ECAP) in July
2020, including the establishment of
Resilience Hubs and Spaces, improved
analysis of climate adaptation, and
improved communication and
coordination tools for neighborhood
resilience.

ACTION

7.5.2 Climate Adaptation
Strategies.

Communicate information
about potential local climate
impacts to neighborhoods
and developers, and
encourage participation in
the development of climate
adaptation strategies to
improve project and
neighborhood resiliency;
consider including
notification of climaterelated vulnerabilities at
time-of-sale for properties in
especially vulnerable areas.

Bureau of
Planning;
Bureau of
Building;
Environment
al Services
(PWA)
Ongoing,
2015-23
In July 2020, Oakland City Council
unanimously voted to adopt the 2030
Equitable Climate Action Plan (ECAP).

The 2030 ECAP establishes actions that
the City and its partners will take to
equitably reduce Oakland’s climate
emissions and adapt to a changing
climate. The ECAP was developed
pursuant to City Council’s adopted
2030 greenhouse gas emission
reduction target of 56% relative to
2005 levels, as well as Oaklands 2018
Climate Emergency and Just Transition
Resolution. Oakland’s City Council also
adopted a 2045 Carbon Neutrality
Goal, calling for a dramatic reduction
in Oakland's greenhouse gas emissions
and “deep decarbonization” of the
building and transportation sectors by
2045. The new 2030 ECAP is rooted in
equity and a deep community
engagement process: it identifies
ambitious actions we can take to
The approach has
been moderately
effective in
demonstrating the
need for climate
adaptation
strategies to be
made in support of
housing policy.

The approach is
appropriate,
although the
goals, objectives,
policies, and
programs would
benefit from a
more expansive
description and
focus on those
elements of
climate change
with the
potential to
impact housing
supply and
quality, as well
as resident
health and
safety.

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combat climate change while also
ensuring that frontline communities –
those that have been harmed by
environmental injustice and who are
likely to be hurt first and worst by the
impacts of climate change – will
benefit first and foremost from climate
action.

The City is focusing its attention
especially on actions that will result in
cleaner air, improved economic
security, good green jobs, and more
resilient communities, while also
minimizing our contribution to climate
change. To find updates on ECAP
implementation, please visit the
Sustainability Page, where all ECAPrelated topics and resources are listed and updated:
https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/sus
tainable-oakland-1
Climate adaptation strategies are also
included in the City's Resilient Oakland
Playbook, and Sea level Rise Road
Map. The City was the focus of a 2018
effort by the All Bay Collective to
identify climate adaptation strategies
for the neighborhoods adjacent to San
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Appropriateness
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Leandro Bay in East Oakland. The City
is also working with community groups
in the East Oakland Neighborhoods
Initiative (EONI) to implement a
Transformative Climate Communities
grant from the Strategic Growth
Council to further identify climate
adaptation strategies for East Oakland.
2023-2031 Housing Element

DRAFT-PUBLIC REVIEW
May 2022
City of Oakland
This is a preliminary draft document that has not been adopted by the City of Oakland or approved by any City department. This draft has not gone through graphic design or formatting. The purpose of this draft is to solicit public input prior to transmission to the State Department of Housing and Community Development.

Cover photos: Greg Linhares, City of Oakland, and Dyett & Bhatia Prepared by:

Table of Contents
1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................3

1.1 Purpose of the Housing Element ........................................................................................ 8

1.2 Oakland’s Housing Approach ............................................................................................ 11

1.3 Organization of the Housing Element............................................................................... 12

1.4 Relationship to Other General Plan Elements.................................................................. 14

1.5 Sources of Information ..................................................................................................... 15 2 Public Participation........................................................................................................19

2.1 Summary of Community Outreach Activities ................................................................... 19

2.2 Public Participation Themes.............................................................................................. 27 3 Summary of the Housing Sites Inventory ........................................................................32

3.1 Regional Housing Needs Allocation .................................................................................. 32

3.2 Capacity to Accommodate the RHNA ............................................................................... 32

3.3 Assessing Housing Sites Through a Fair Housing Lens...................................................... 38 4 Housing Action Plan .......................................................................................................43

4.1 Goals, Policies, and Actions............................................................................................... 43 Goal 1. Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement and Prevent Homelessness ..................... 43 Goal 2. Preserve and Improve Existing Affordable Housing Stock.................................................. 50 Goal 3. Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities......................................................................... 59 Goal 4. Address Homelessness and Expand Services for the Unhoused ........................................ 89 Goal 5. Promote Neighborhood Stability and Health...................................................................... 98

4.2 Quantified Objectives...................................................................................................... 108 Appendices
Appendix A: Evaluation of the 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element Appendix B: Housing Needs Assessment
Appendix C: Sites Inventory
Appendix D: Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing draft Appendix E: Housing Resources and Opportunities
Appendix F: Housing Constraints
Chapter 2: Public Participation
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Appendix G: Opportunities for Energy Conservation
Appendix H: Glossary
Appendix I: Reserved for Public outreach Materials
List of Figures
Figure 1-1: Regional Map ................................................................................................................. 7 Figure 2-1: Deeply Rooted Collaborative ....................................................................................... 20 Figure 2-2: Interactive Map Survey Snapshot................................................................................ 26 Figure 3-1: City of Oakland 2023-2031 Housing Sites Inventory ................................................... 35 Figure 3-2: Housing Sites Access to Opportunity, 2022................................................................. 40 List of Charts and Tables
Charts:

Chart 2-1: Oakland 2045 Project Schedule .................................................................................... 24 Chart 2-2: Housing Element Outreach Timeline ............................................................................ 24 Chart 3-1: Housing Sites Inventory Development Process ............................................................ 38 Tables:

Table 1-1: Oakland Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 2023-2031............................................ 9 Table 2-1: Deeply Rooted Collaborative Community Partner Roles.............................................. 21 Table 3-1: Oakland Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 2023-2031.......................................... 32 Table 3-2: Summary of Residential Capacity to Accommodate the 2023-2031 RHNA.................. 34 Table 4-1: City of Oakland 2023-2031 Quantified Objectives...................................................... 109 1 Introduction
This Housing Element presents the City of Oakland’s strategy and commitment for how it will
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LEARNING FROM THE PAST
call Oakland “home”? Oakland’s current housing landscape tells the ǡ

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ǡHella Town: Oakland’s History of Development and Disruptionǡȋǣ ǡʹͲʹͳȌǤ
2 City of Oakland, “Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Baseline.” March 2022. Access available at ǣȀȀ
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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Recession, banks engaged in a process referred to as “reverse redlining” where predatory

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in part due to efforts like the City’s 10K plan to revitalize the urban core, has reinvigorated Ǥ5 ǡ

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Planning and Policy Justice Report for OakDOT’s East Oakland Mobility Action Plan, June 2021, https://drive. Ǥ
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4 “East Oakland Displacement Status and Impacts from the BRT Project Summary.” n.d. Oakland: Just Cities. ǣȀȀ
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6 Mitchell Schwarzer, Hella Town: Oakland's History of Development and Disruption (University of California Press, 2021).
7 “East Oakland Displacement Status and Impacts from the BRT Project Summary.” n.d. Oakland: Just Cities. ǣȀȀ
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9 Ibid.

Chapter 1: Introduction
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shape the city’s built environment,

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tidal lagoon lake located within the city’s borders.

CHARTING AN EQUITABLE, INCLUSIVE FUTURE

ǡ future. In 2016, the City established the Department of Race and Equity with a mission “to

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10 “City of Oakland HCD 2021ǦʹͲʹ͵

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ʹͲʹͳǦ2023 Strategic Action Plan.” n.d. Accessed May 9, 2022. ǣȀȀ Ǧ
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Chapter 1: Introduction
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(HDG) for Oakland’s Planning and Building Department, the first
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as been developed, with few “greenfield” (not yet developed) sites within its limits ǡ redevelopment of “infill” sites. Within the city limit, there are approximately ʹͻǡ͹ͲͲ
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Chapter 1: Introduction
8 1.1 Purpose of the Housing Element
The 2023-2031 Oakland Housing Element is one component of a larger effort: an update to the City of Oakland General Plan. The General Plan Update will create Oakland’s 2045 General Plan and is a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for all Oaklanders to work together to create a visionary blueprint for the city’s future over the next 20 years. The Oakland 2045 General Plan will be made up of several “elements” covering a wide range of topics important to the future of Oakland, including environmental justice, land use and transportation, open space, noise, conservation, and safety.

The 2023-2031 Housing Element sets forth the City’s housing priorities and goals—as well as its vision for both short- and long-term development—to create a fair and just city. State law mandates that the Housing Element be updated every eight years to reflect changing conditions, community objectives, and goals. This Housing Element also provides an evaluation of the 2015-2023 Housing Element, including an assessment of prior programs and strategies.

HOUSING ELEMENT: COMPONENTS
In California, all cities must adopt a General Plan composed of at least seven elements, including the Housing Element. All cities must also incorporate environmental justice into the General Plan. Oakland has chosen to adopt an Environmental Justice Element while also incorporating environmental justice goals into each element, including the Housing Element.

While the Housing Element is influenced by State law, it is essentially a local document. The Oakland Housing Element, in tandem with the rest of the General Plan Update, is designed to assess and shape the community’s housing progress and needs.

Nonetheless, among all General Plan elements, the State of California has the most extensive set of requirements pertaining to housing elements. In accordance with State law, the Housing Element must include:
• A description of outreach conducted in preparation of the element • An analysis of progress in implementing the previous Housing Element and effectiveness of its programs and actions
• An assessment of existing and projected housing needs • An analysis of special housing needs, such as those of older adults and people with disabilities
• An analysis of existing assisted housing units at risk of conversion from affordable to market rate
• An analysis and inventory of resources and constraints relevant to meeting housing needs
• An affirmatively furthering fair housing (AFFH) analysis, which guides the analysis of each set of requirements
Chapter 1: Introduction
9 • An inventory of adequate sites suitable for construction of new housing sufficient to meet needs at all economic levels
• A program that sets forth specific actions to address housing needs, with identification of responsible agencies and timelines

REGIONAL HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT (RHNA)
Oakland’s Housing Element was last updated in 2015 and covered the years 2015-2023. The current Housing Element update reflects the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) as determined by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) for the Sixth Cycle Housing Element update, covering the years 2023-2031. The RHNA is a State-mandated process intended to ensure every city and county plans for enough housing production to accommodate future growth. The State of California Housing and Community Development Department (State HCD) assigns each region of the state an overall RHNA allocation. For the nine-county Bay Area region, ABAG then distributes a “fair share” portion of that allocation to each local jurisdiction. Each city and county must then identify adequate sites with a realistic capacity for development sufficient to meet this RHNA.

For the 2023-2031 period, Oakland must identify sites sufficient to accommodate 26,251 new housing units between 2023 and 2031, with a specific number of units designated as affordable to each income category, as shown in Table 1-1.

A total of 6,511 units must be affordable to households making less than 50 percent of area median income (AMI), 3,750 units must be affordable to households making between 50 and 80 percent of AMI, 4,457 units must be affordable to households making between 80 and 120 percent of AMI, and 11,533 units must be affordable to households making over 120 percent of AMI. The RHNA does not specifically break down the need for extremely-low-income households. As provided by State law, the housing needs of extremely-low-income households, or those making less than 30 percent of area median income (AMI), is estimated as 50 percent of the very-low-income housing need. More detail on the RHNA allocation process is described in Chapter 3 as well as in Appendix C.

Table 1-1: Oakland Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 2023-2031 Income Level1
Income Range Needed
Units
Percent of
Needed Units
Very-Low-Income (0-50% AMI) <$46,287 6,511 24.8%
Extremely-Low-Income
(<30% AM part of Very-Low-Income in previous row)2
<$27,772 3,256 -
Low-Income (51-80% AMI) $27,773-$74,059 3,750 14.3%
Moderate-Income (81-120% AMI) $74,059-111,089 4,457 17.0% Above-Moderate-Income (>120% AMI) >$111,090 11,533 43.9% Total 26,251 100.0%

1. Income levels were determined by county median household income based on 2014-2018 American Community Survey data (Table B19013). The median income in Alameda County during this period was $92,574.

2. Extremely-low-income housing need is assumed to be 50 percent of very-low-income housing need.

Source: ABAG, Final RHNA Plan, December 2021
Chapter 1: Introduction
10 HOUSING ELEMENT: STATE CHANGES
Various amendments have been made to Housing Element law since adoption of the City’s current Housing Element, especially since 2017. Some of the key changes for 6th cycle RHNA and Housing Element update include:
• Assembly Bill (AB) 72 (2017) provides additional authority to State HCD to scrutinize housing elements and enforce housing element noncompliance and other violations of state housing laws.
• AB 879 (2017) and AB 1397 (2017) require additional analysis and justification of sites listed on a local government’s housing sites inventory, additional explanation of the realistic capacity of those listed sites, and further scrutiny of governmental and nongovernmental constraints that limit the production of housing. • AB 686 (2018) requires local governments to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) by including in revised housing elements (1) an assessment of fair housing; (2) equitable distribution of housing to meet the needs of households at all income levels and dismantle segregated living patterns with integrated and balanced living patterns; (3) policies and programs that address fair housing barriers and promote fair housing patterns; and (4) a comprehensive, collaborative, accessible, inclusive, and equity-driven public engagement approach.
• AB 215 (2021) extends the housing element compliance review process by requiring local governments to make draft housing elements available for public review prior to submittal to State HCD rather than conducting concurrent review.

The draft must be made publicly available for at least 30 days, and the local government must consider and incorporate public comment for at least 10 business days, before sending the draft to State HCD. AB 215 also increased State HCD’s review period of the first draft element submittal from 60 to 90 days and within 60 days of its receipt for a subsequent draft amendment or adoption.

However, the January 31, 2023, statutory deadline remains the same, even as these new requirements have significantly added to the time a city needs to complete the overall housing element update process.
• AB 1398 (2021) revises the consequences for local governments that miss the deadline for housing element adoption. Local governments must complete rezoning no later than one year from the statutory deadline for adoption of the housing element if that jurisdiction fails to adopt a housing element that State HCD has found to be in substantial compliance with state law within 120 days of the statutory deadline. The City retains the three-year rezoning period if the housing element is adopted within 120 days of the statutory deadline. • AB 1304 (2021) clarifies that a public agency has a mandatory duty to comply with existing Housing Element Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Chapter 1: Introduction
11 requirements. AB 1304 revises the items to be included in AFFH analysis and requires that analysis to be done in a specified manner. In addition, the housing inventory must analyze the relationship of the sites identified in the inventory to the city’s duty to affirmatively further fair housing.

The contents of this Housing Element comply with these amendments and all other requirements of Housing Element law.

ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The Housing Element update is being accompanied by an Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which analyzes the potential impacts attributable to the Housing Element update, as well as the Safety and Environmental Justice Elements and related Planning Code, General Plan, and Zoning Map amendments.

1.2 Oakland’s Housing Approach
Two important components of the Housing Element include a plan to address Oaklanders’ housing needs, and an inventory of sites suitable for housing development at all income levels, based on Oakland’s 6th cycle RHNA.

HOUSING ACTION PLAN
This Housing Element identifies a foundational framework of five overarching goals in Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan to comprehensively address the housing crisis and needs of Oaklanders. The goals seek to significantly address disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, replace segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transform racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, foster and maintain compliance with civil rights, and affirmatively further fair housing. The goals were developed through a careful review of community input from each of the outreach and engagement sessions listed in Chapter 2 of the Housing Element.

The goals include:

1. Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement and Prevent Homelessness:

Protect Oakland tenants from displacement and create conditions that enable them to remain in their homes and communities.

2. Preserve and Improve Existing Housing Stock: Conserve and improve the affordability of existing housing stock in Oakland and address substandard conditions.

3. Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities: Facilitate the production of housing for extremely low, very low, low, and moderate-income households. In addition to increased production generally, provide a diversity of housing types, ownership opportunities, living arrangements, and features supportive of special needs. Locate Chapter 1: Introduction
12

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4. Address Homelessness and Expand Resources for the Unhoused:
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5. Promote Neighborhood Stability and Health: ǡǡ
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HOUSING SITES INVENTORY

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• Sites where development is underway or approved (known as “pipeline projects”) or

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1.3 Organization of the Housing Element

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the City’s 2015ǦʹͲʹ͵ ǡ ǡ Chapter 1: Introduction
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• Chapter 1 – Introduction: ǡ
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Element’s relationship to the General Plan.
• Chapter 2 – Public Participation:

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• Chapter 3 – Summary of the Housing Sites Inventory: Summarizes the City’s

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• Chapter 4 – Housing Action Plan:
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• Appendix A – Evaluation of the 2015-2023 Oakland Housing Element:
ummarizes the City’s achievements in implementing ǡ ǡ

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• Appendix B – Housing Needs Assessment:

rmation, including both population and household data, to identify Oakland’s Ǥ
• Appendix C – Sites Inventory:

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• Appendix D – Assessment of Fair Housing:

solutions to meet Oakland’s AFFH mandate.
• Appendix E – Housing Resources and Opportunities: Assesses the City’s financial
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• Appendix F – Housing Constraints: Ǧ

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• Appendix G – Opportunities for Energy Conservation: Ǥ
• Appendix H – Glossary
• Appendix I – Reserved for Public Outreach Materials
Chapter 1: Introduction
14 1.4 Relationship to Other General Plan Elements
State law requires the Housing Element to contain a statement of “the means by which consistency will be achieved with other general plan elements and community goals” ȋ
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development that are the focus of the Housing Element and the City’s ability to accommodate
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Chapter 1: Introduction
15 1.5 Sources of Information
In preparing the Housing Element, various sources of information were utilized. As a starting point, the Element used ABAG-prepared local data and AFFH package pre-certified by State HCD for use in sixth cycle housing elements, which provides the basis for population and household characteristics and affirmatively furthering fair housing resources. Where necessary, several additional and more current sources are used to provide reliable updates of the ABAG data package. The sources used in the ABAG data package and many additional sources are listed below. Public input from members of the public, community-based organizations (CBOs), and community leaders, was also a key source of information for this Housing Element. More details on what information was collected from these partners can be found in Chapter 2.

1. ABAG Pre-Certified Housing Needs Data Package, 2021
a. Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council's (FFIEC) Home Mortgage Disclosure Act loan/application register (LAR) files
b. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000; Census 2010; American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2005-2009 through 2015-2019)
c. U.S. Census Bureau, Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics, Workplace Area Characteristics (WAC) files, 2002-2018; Residence Area Characteristics (RAC) files, 2002-2018
d. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census of Farmworkers (2002, 2007, 2012, 2017), Table 7: Hired Farm Labor
e. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Comprehensive Housing Affordability Strategy (CHAS) ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release f. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Populations and Subpopulations Reports (2019) g. California Department of Developmental Services, Consumer Count by California ZIP Code and Age Group (2020); Consumer Count by California ZIP Code and Residence Type (2020)
h. California Department of Education, California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CALPADS), Cumulative Enrollment Data (Academic Years 2016-2017, 2017-2018, 2018-2019, 2019-2020) i. California Department of Finance, E-5 series
j. California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), 5th Cycle Annual Progress Report Permit Summary (2020)
k. California Employment Development Department, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), Sub-county areas monthly updates, 2010-2021 l. California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC)/California Housing and Community Development (HCD), Opportunity Maps (2020)
m. California Housing Partnership, Preservation Database (2020) n. Zillow, Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)

2. Freddie Mac, Historical Weekly Mortgage Rates Data, 2015-2021

3. Home Mortgage Disclosure Act Data, 2012-2020

4. HUD, CHAS ACS tabulation, 2013-2017 release

5. HUD, Fair Market Rent, 2019
Chapter 1: Introduction
16 6. HUD, AFFHT0006 Table 12, July 2020

7. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000; Census 2010; American Community Survey 5-Year Data (2005-2009 through 2015-2019)

8. California Department of Finance, P-2 series

9. California Department of Food and Agriculture, Certified Farmers’ Markets by County, January 2022

10. California Department of Education, CAASPP, Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, 2018-2019

11. California Department of Public Health, Licensed and Certified Healthcare Facility Listing, 2022

12. HCD, AFFH Data and Mapping Resources, 2021

13. HCD, State Income Limits, 2021

14. HCD, Qualified Entities, May 2021

15. TCAC, Nine Percent Application, 2022

16. TCAC, Project Staff Reports 2017-2020

17. ABAG-MTC, Existing and Planned Transit Stops, 2021

18. ABAG-MTC, Final RHNA Plan, December 2021

19. Alameda County, Assessor Parcel Data, 2021

20. Alameda County, Historic Assessor Parcel Data, 2014-2015

21. Alameda County, Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI) for FY 2020/21-2024/25

22. Alameda Housing Authority, Utility Allowance Schedule, 2021

23. EBMUD, Water and Wastewater System Schedules of Rates and Charges, Capacity Charges and Other Fees, July 2021

24. EBMUD, Water Shortage Contingency Plan, 2020

25. City of Oakland, Planning Code, 2022

26. City of Oakland, Staff Reports, 2019-2021

27. City of Oakland, Accela Building and Planning Permits, March 2022

28. City of Oakland, Building Bureau Code Enforcement Division, FY 2020-2021

29. City of Oakland, Building & Planning Department, 2022

30. City of Oakland, Equitable Climate Action Plan, 2020

31. City of Oakland, Housing & Community Development Strategic Action Plan, 2021- 2023

32. City of Oakland, Master Fee Schedule and Fee Estimator with Impact Fees, July 2021;

33. City of Oakland, Oakland ADU Initiative, Existing Conditions and Barriers Report, January 2020 (Revised June 2020)

34. City of Oakland, Oakland Equity Indicators Report, 2018

35. City of Oakland, Department of Housing and Community Development, Five Year Strategic Consolidated Plan: Annual Action Plan, 2018-2019

36. City of Oakland, Impact Fee Annual Report, December 24, 2021

37. City of Oakland, Resilient Oakland Playbook, October 10, 2016

38. City of Oakland, 2016-2021 Local Hazard Mitigation Plan (LHMP)

39. Oakland Housing Authority, Draft Making Transitions Work Annual Plan, FY 2023

40. Oakland Department of Transportation, Geographic Equity Toolbox Planning Areas, 2020

41. Oakland Housing Authority, August 2021
Chapter 1: Introduction
17 42. City of Berkeley, Building Permit Fee Estimator, 2022 and Affordable Housing Mitigation Fee Ordinance, October 2020

43. City of Emeryville, Master Fee Schedule, July 2021 and Development Impact Fees, FY 2020-2021

44. City of Richmond, Master Fee Schedule, July 2020

45. City of San Francisco, Development Impact Fee Register, December 2021 and Planning Department Fee Schedule, August 2021

46. City of San Jose, Planning Application Filing Fee Schedule, August 2021, Building and Structure Permits Fee Schedule, August 2021, and Inclusionary Housing Ordinance Schedule of Fees, April 2021

47. Economic & Planning Systems, Inc., Downtown Oakland Specific Plan: Incentive Program Feasibility Study, July 10, 2020

48. Hausrath Economics Group, Oakland Affordable Housing Impact Fee Five-Year Review, December 23, 2021

49. California Housing Partnership, Preservation Database, February 2022

50. Urban Displacement Project, 2018 and 2019

51. National Association of Realtors Research Group, Downpayment Expectations & Hurdles to Homeownership, April 2020

52. Yelp, 2022

53. Zillow, Mortgage Rates, October 2021

54. Zillow, ZHVI, December 31, 2010, and December 31, 2020 Chapter 1: Introduction
18 This page intentionally left blank.

Chapter 2: Public Participation
19 2 Public Participation
Inclusive engagement and public participation have been key to the preparation of Oakland’s Housing Element. Public participation is an ongoing process that will continue to occur as the General Plan is updated. Outreach completed as part of phase 1 of the update process will continue to inform phase 2 of the General Plan update. All community outreach is conducted through a racial equity lens to identify actions to affirmatively further fair housing, increase community assets, decrease pollution exposure, and improve overall health.

The community engagement effort is composed of an extensive outreach process that seeks to engage stakeholders throughout the community, with additional resources dedicated to engaging communities historically underrepresented and excluded from traditional planning processes and often most negatively impacted by City policies. All community input shared will be used to “ground truth” data based on peoples’ lived experience, inform areas of focus for General Plan elements, and guide development of General Plan policies. Outreach that informed the development of this Housing Element is summarized in the following chapter, and materials used in the outreach process are included in Appendix I.

2.1 Summary of Community Outreach Activities

GENERAL PLAN UPDATE OUTREACH
The City, based on feedback received from community members, implemented an innovative approach to collaborating with consultants on the General Plan Update. The City partnered with both a Community Consultant Team – Deeply Rooted Collaborative and a Technical Consultant Team – Dyett and Bhatia, to ensure a planning process that 1) meets state deadlines and requirements for the GPU and 2) dedicates significant resources to deep and meaningful community engagement. The Community and Technical Consultants coordinated closely. The team leads meet weekly, and the entire project team meets biweekly to share key findings and provide feedback. Both Community Consultant and Technical Consultant outreach and feedback is incorporated into all components of the Housing Element. This approach aligns with advancing the City's critical mission of creating a just and fair City for all (Oakland Municipal Code Section 2.29.170.1).

Community engagement efforts for the General Plan Update include an extensive and inclusive outreach process, engaging stakeholders throughout the community with additional resources dedicated to engaging communities historically underrepresented and excluded from traditional planning processes and most negatively impacted by City policies.

Chapter 2: Public Participation
20

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Chapter 2: Public Participation
21 Table 2-1: Deeply Rooted Collaborative Community Partner Roles Community Partner Community/ Outreach Geography
The Black Cultural Zone Community Development
Corporation
Black Community | East Oakland
CURYJ Formerly incarcerated, Black and Latinx | Fruitvale House/Full of Black Women/ Deep Waters Dance
Theater
Lao Family Community Development, Inc Southeast Asian American community Malonga Arts Residents Association (MARA) Black and Brown communities, and partnership with members in Chinatown
Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC)/ API Cultural
Center
Asian American community| Chinatown
Unity Council Latinx community | Fruitvale
The Village in Oakland Unhoused curbside communities in North Oakland, West Oakland, Downtown, and East Oakland
West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. Environmental Justice | West Oakland Black Arts Movement Business District, CDC
(BAMBD, CDC)
West Oakland (Lower Bottoms), Artists, flatland
communities of color, those invested in the
animation of BAMBD, CDC and its stakeholders

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH SUMMARY
A variety of outreach activities such as workshops, focused discussions, pop-ups, open houses, porch chats, and community hub events are planned throughout the entire process.

All community input shared will be used to ground truth data based on peoples’ lived experience, inform areas of focus for the update of General Plan elements, and guide development of General Plan policies.

Input related to housing overlaps with many General Plan topic areas and will be incorporated into both the eight-year Housing Element Update as well as into elements with a longer planning horizon, such as the Land Use and Transportation, Environmental Justice, and Safety Elements. A summary of the General Plan update project schedule is provided in Chart 2-1. Information on all community engagement events, including engagement summaries; workshop and townhall presentations, recordings, meeting summaries; and discussion group summaries, are provided via the General Plan Update website at https://www.oaklandca.gov/topics/meetings-and-events. A summary of these engagement activities is described below:
• Popup and Community Hub Events: Since November 2021 to March 2022, the GPU Deeply Rooted Collaborative has conducted pop-up events in Eastmont, Fruitvale, San Antonio, Chinatown, West Oakland, and Downtown. For example, in West Oakland these events have been porchside chats and a pop-up at Hoover Elementary.

Engagement has also been integrated into larger community events like the Oakland Asian Cultural Center’s (OACC) Asian Pacific New Year Celebration and the Black Joy parade. At these community-embedded events, the team has engaged with over 1006 people, with a majority being individuals from communities of color. These events sought to hear community concerns, ideas and solutions through interviews and Chapter 2: Public Participation
22 focus group conversations. Community concerns that rose to the top included affordability, displacement, disinvestment, housing quality, pollution (industry and cars), lack of parks, collisions, and illegal dumping.
• Townhalls: Two townhalls were held on March 26, 2022, and April 7, 2022. The townhall on March 26, 2022, introduced the General Plan Update process and gathered community input on a vision for the City in 2045, as well as local issues and opportunities that should be addressed in the General Plan. The townhall on April 7, 2022, focused on equity across all issues, with a special focus on EJ and safety priorities in the City.
• Community Education Workshops: Two community education workshops were hosted on April 8, 2022, and April 9, 2022, and organized by the Deeply Rooted Collaborative Community Engagement partner to review the past and present policies that led to today's conditions in housing and environmental justice. Over 100 people attended the workshops. Speakers included Oakland unhoused leader Needa Bee (The Village in Oakland), EJ leader Ms. Margaret Gordon (West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project), Margaretta Lin (Just Cities) and Diana Benitez (Just Cities). Attendees shared their frustration regarding ongoing displacement and disinvestment and various community-centered solutions that would bring much needed resources to communities of color in Oakland without displacement. • Youth Engagement: Youth engagement for the GPU will take the form of a Deeply Rooted Fellowship with 15 – 20 fellows. The Fellowship will be a 2-to-3-year commitment and fellows will be provided with a monthly stipend. Planning, design, and training of the fellowship program will be done in coordination with Y-Plan.

Fellows will coordinate with the Oakland Youth Advisory Commission (OYAC) and will be engaged in outreach activities such as community-based events, presentations to the community and schools, and social media outreach. Recruitment began in April 2022 with tentative commencement of the Fellowship in May 2022. • Neighborhood Group Meetings: Staff are working with Neighborhood Service Coordinators to present at Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils (NCPCs) on topics including housing, environmental justice, industrial lands and safety and natural hazards and receive feedback. Staff have presented at several NCPCs and will continue to engage and obtain feedback. Staff are presenting to other Neighborhood – Community groups, faith-based organizations, and at other community congregation events as well.
• Equity Working Group: Convened by the Deeply Rooted Collaborative, the Equity Working Group (EWG) is comprised of 20 diverse community members who will 1) Identify the major challenges and impacts of the General Plan (housing, safety, environmental justice, land use, transportation, and parks) and 2) Advocate for solutions that advance equitable and healthy communities for Oakland residents.

Each member will receive a stipend. 20 EWG members who met the following criteria were selected through an interview process from a total of 66 applicants:
− Hard to reach communities: People from communities that the City traditionally has trouble engaging with including Indigenous, unhoused, formerly Chapter 2: Public Participation
23 incarcerated, low-income, Asian, Black, Latinx, multiracial, people with disabilities, undocumented, and people experiencing environmental injustices. − In target geographic areas of: West Oakland, East Oakland, Chinatown, and Fruitvale.
− Age diversity: People at different stages of their lives to ensure varied knowledge and experiences.
− Diversity of gender and sexual orientation: To ensure women's and LGBTQ+ perspectives are included in this process.
− People who own small businesses in Oakland.
• Technical Advisory Committee: The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) is comprised of internal City department representatives as well as other Oaklandbased, neighboring, and regional governmental agency representatives. The TAC serves to advise on key strategies to address Oakland’s big issues related to housing, environmental justice, safety, and other topics; review community input collected at key points in the process; and inform, discuss, and provide technical direction on policies and actions. The second TAC meeting was held on March 7, 2022 and TAC members provided recommendations for housing strategies/actions for housing production, preservation, and protections.
• Study Sessions with Official Decision-Making Bodies: The Planning Commission, City Council, and various boards and commissions are active participants in the GPU and will have opportunities to provide direction at each Stage in the process. The project team will continue to check in with these decision-making bodies at key milestones to ensure that the project remains on the right track in terms of process, direction, and overall vision. Engagement will take the form of study sessions and informational presentations to review products and generate feedback on drafts. The Planning Commission and Special Community & Economic Development Committee met on February 2nd and February 22nd to discuss potential housing site locations and recommended housing strategies and actions.

Chapter 2: Public Participation
24 Chart 2-1: Oakland 2045 Project Schedule

HOUSING ELEMENT OUTREACH
To supplement efforts that were part of the General Plan update, a series of targeted activities related to housing were held prior to the release of the public Draft Housing Element.

Additional opportunities for feedback will occur after plan release as well. These efforts are summarized in Chart 2-2 and described below:

Chart 2-2: Housing Element Outreach Timeline
Housing Workshops: The team hosted three virtual housing workshops on February 10, 2022, February 17, 2022, and March 12, 2022, with one additional workshop planned to allow for the opportunity to give feedback on the Draft Housing Element. Approximately 200 people participated in these three virtual workshops. The first workshop provided background information on the General Plan, the Housing Element, and housing sites Chapter 2: Public Participation
25 inventory requirements. Workshop 2 sought to gather input on potential housing programs.

Workshop 3 focused on community input on strategies to preserve existing affordable housing, protect tenants, and prevent displacement. Workshop 4 was held on May 12, 2022, and sought Oaklanders’ input on housing sites and proposed strategies included in a public review Housing Element draft before sending it to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Summaries of these workshops are included in Appendix I.

Discussion Groups: A series of focus group discussions were held on the housing-related topics to solicit targeted feedback from organizations and individuals with direct experience with housing provisions and housing-related services. Discussion participants included organizations that may not have traditionally participated in the past including housing justice advocates, tenant rights organizations, faith-based organizations, and other community organizations.

Summaries of these meetings, including the names of participating groups, are provided in Appendix I; see below for the themes of the discussion groups:
• Focus Group Discussion 1 (February 2, 2022): Housing Sites • Focus Group Discussion 2 (March 10, 2022): Production, Preservation, and Protections
• Focus Group Discussion 3 (Forthcoming – placeholder)
Housing Element Update Survey
The Oakland Housing Element Update Survey accompanied the first housing workshop on planning where housing should go. The survey was open from February 11, 2022 through March 7, 2022, received 480 individual responses, and generated a total of 1,976 unique map responses. It included two interactive mapping questions regarding potential locations for future housing in the city of Oakland.

The interactive map in the survey displayed the initial sites under consideration for the Housing Element and focused on identifying community priorities and recommendations for additional locations. See Figure 2-2 below for a snapshot of the interactive map. As an optional component of the survey, respondents were asked to describe their zip code, and race or ethnicity. The results of this survey guided the selection of sites identified in Chapter 3 and Appendix C, and a summary of the survey’s findings is provided in Appendix I.

Chapter 2: Public Participation
26 Figure 2-2: Interactive Map Survey Snapshot

ANALYSIS OF IMPEDIMENTS TO FAIR HOUSING CHOICE
The assessment of fair housing contained in Appendix D relies in part on outreach done in preparation of Alameda County’s 2020 to 2024 Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice (AI).11 Historically, Oakland has prepared its own AI every five years as a U.S.

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requirement. However, in 2020, the City joined various Alameda County cities and Housing Authority agencies to complete a regional AI.

A year-long community engagement process for the 2020 to 2024 AI consisted of three meetings and a seven-page survey between June 2019 – November 2019. The survey was translated into multiple languages and distributed to priority populations (those most impacted by fair housing issues) via local organizations. Priority populations include racial and ethnic minorities, people experiencing homelessness, people with limited English proficiency, people with disabilities, and people residing in Racially or Ethnically Concentrated Areas of Poverty (R/ECAPs). The survey received 3,296 responses. Key data from the 2020 to 2024 AI is used in the Assessment of Fair Housing in Appendix D:

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.
11 Alameda County, “Regional Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing Choice.” February 2020. Accessible at https://cao-94612.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/ALAMEDA-COUNTY-REGIONAL-ANALYSIS-OFIMPEDIMENTS-TO-FAIR-HOUSING-Final-AI_Combined_2-24-20.pdf Chapter 2: Public Participation
27 2.2 Public Participation Themes
Across discussion groups, workshops, and other community engagement events, several key themes emerged that informed development of this Housing Element Update’s goals, policies, and actions. This list is not comprehensive, but the key themes listed below are reflected in the overarching goals identified in Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan. The goals, policies, and actions seek to significantly address disparities in housing needs and in access to opportunity, replace segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transform racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, foster and maintain compliance with civil rights, and affirmatively further fair housing. • Address Homelessness: “Housing is a Human Right.” A common refrain from participants was that Oakland should recognize housing as a human right and focus on addressing the homelessness crisis. As experts from the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty note, “a right to adequate housing is not a requirement that states build free housing for the entire population, rather, it devotes resources and protective measures to prevent homelessness, discrimination, and promote permanent stable housing.”12 Participants expressed distrust with the City and frustration with the current unaffordability of housing and ongoing displacement.

They suggested a wide variety of strategies to house the unhoused community, including treating unhoused populations with dignity, stopping the current encampment management policy, more flexible building types, temporary units, permanent supportive housing, RVs/safe parking zones, tiny homes, manufactured housing, and working with the unhoused community to understand their needs and priorities. Participants discussed methods for addressing the homelessness crisis, including a moratorium on market rate housing to balance the speed at which housing is built with the need to ensure that new housing is high-quality, affordable, and habitable, partnering with community groups that work with unhoused communities, and creating housing options that include wrap-around services. The Housing Element incorporates this input in the following ways:
− Goals: 1, 2, 3, 4
− Policies: 1.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.3, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3 − Actions: 1.1.1 through 1.1.13, 2.2.1 through 2.2.8, 3.1.1, 3.1.2, 3.3.1 through 3.3.7,

3.3.9, 3.3.11 through 3.3.15, 3.3.17, 3.3.18, 3.5.1 through 3.5.3, 3.6.1, 3.6.2, 3.6.5,

3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.7.4, 3.7.6, 4.1.1 through 4.1.5, 4.2.1 through 4.2.5, 4.3.1 through 4.3.4 • Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement and Preserve Existing Affordable Housing. Over the last two decades, housing costs in Oakland have risen dramatically – meaning many Oakland residents cannot afford to buy or rent a home within their own neighborhood. Participants expressed frustration with increasing displacement pressures while the stock of affordable housing throughout the city decreases, including both subsidized housing and “naturally occurring affordable housing” – or unsubsidized housing that is affordable at market prices. Participants 12 https://www.kqed.org/news/11801176/what-would-housing-as-a-human-right-look-like-in-california Chapter 2: Public Participation
28 also discussed how Oakland’s

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• Focus on Building more Housing Affordable to Extremely Low, Very Low, Low, and Moderate Incomes.

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− Actions: ͵ǤͳǤͳǡ ͵ǤͳǤʹǡ ͵ǤʹǤͳ ͵ǤʹǤͷǡ ͵Ǥ͵Ǥͳ ͵Ǥ͵Ǥͳͺǡ ͵ǤͶǤͳ ͵ǤͶǤͳͲǡ͵ǤͷǤͳ͵ǤͷǤͶǡ͵Ǥ͸Ǥͳ͵Ǥ͸Ǥͷǡ͵Ǥ͹ǤͶ͵Ǥ͹Ǥ͸ • Address Housing Quality Issues.

impacts on people’s physical and mental health. Through neighborhood outreach Chapter 2: Public Participation
29 processes, many Oaklanders described housing quality issues they were living with, such as overcrowding, unsafe building conditions, and lack of maintenance, caused by landlord neglect, lack of funds for upkeep or housing burden, or fear of reporting these issues. Community-recommended strategies to address these issues included programs/grants to landlords and homeowners to make repairs; universal design to allow all Oaklanders to remain in their homes as they age, or to help mobilityimpaired residents; and tax credits or programs to address other housing habitability concerns, like indoor air quality. The Housing Element addresses housing quality issues in the following ways:
− Goals: 2, 5
− Policies: 2.1, 5.2
− Actions: 2.1.1 through 2.1.6, 3.3.12, 5.2.1, 5.2.5
• Keep Oakland Communities Together. All Oakland neighborhoods are deserving of high-quality amenities, more affordable housing, and other public investments, especially in areas that have suffered from disinvestment of the past. However, concerns about gentrification and displacement associated with new investment were top of mind for many Oaklanders. Scores of people expressed how difficult it was to pay the rent in light of rising costs. People who have long generational roots in Oakland have been displaced but continue to come to Oakland to be with community and work. This includes a significant loss (30 percent) of Oakland’s Black population from 2000 to 2019. As some community members noted, Oakland neighborhoods are like villages where people care for and nurture each other, and displacement means these villages are fragmented, and culture is lost. Oaklanders recommended creative ways to bring back displaced people as homeowners, such as support for co-ops, land trusts, and shared multi-unit buildings. Other creative ways to prevent displacement include creation of cultural district/anti- displacement zones, a human health/socioeconomic impacts analysis to analyze displacement and homeless impacts of market rate projects before the City provides permits or zoning changes.

Another way they saw keeping Oakland communities together was through investment to the most impacted communities via municipal reparation to redress Oakland’s history of eminent domain and urban renewal and for Black Americans who are descendants of chattel slavery. The Housing Element addresses displacement and cultural preservation in the following ways:
− Goals: 1, 2, 5
− Policies: 1.1, 2.2, 3.5, 5.1, 5.3
− Actions: 1.1.1 through 1.1.13, 2.1.4, 2.2.1 through 2.2.8, 3.2.2, 3.3.8, 3.3.12, 3.3.18,

3.5.1 through 3.5.4, 5.1.1 through 5.1.3, 5.3.1 through 5.3.3 • Building in Accountability and Success Metrics. Oaklanders desire more transparency around housing issues and actions in the City, and to be heard by elected officials and City departments stressing the importance of setting transparent and data-driven metrics to measure the success of various housing programs, and building in accountability measures to ensure that the City can meet its goals. The Chapter 2: Public Participation
30 Housing Elements aims to increase transparency and accountability in the following ways:
− Goals: 1 through 5
− Policies: 1.1, 2.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.7, 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 5.1, 5.2 − Actions: 1.1.7, 1.1.8, 2.1.3, 3.2.5, 3.3.17, 3.3.13, 3.7.1, 4.1.2, 4.2.4, 4.3.1, 5.1.1,

5.1.2, 5.1.3 5.2.9
Chapter 2: Public Participation
31 This page intentionally left blank.

Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
32 3 Summary of the Housing Sites Inventory

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3.1 Regional Housing Needs Allocation
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Table 3-1: Oakland Regional Housing Needs Assessment, 2023-2031 Income Level1
Needed
Units
Needed Units with
15% Buffer
Percent of Needed
Units
Very-Low-Income (0-50% AMI) 6,511 7,488 24.8%
Extremely-Low-Income (<30% AMI; part of VeryLow-Income in previous row) 2 3,256 3,745 -
Low-Income (51-80% AMI) 3,750 4,313 14.3%
Moderate-Income (81-120% AMI) 4,457 5,126 17.0%
Above-Moderate-Income (>120% AMI) 11,533 13,263 43.9%
Total 26,251 30,189 100.0%

2. Extremely-low-income housing need is assumed to be 50 percent of very-low-income housing need, pursuant to Government Code Section 65583(a). Although extremely-low-income housing need is not explicitly projected in the RHNA, this group often requires the most subsidy and assistance to generate a sufficient number of housing units.

Source: ABAG, Final RHNA Plan, December 2021

3.2 Capacity to Accommodate the RHNA

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Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
33 Based on the City’s current General Plan and zoning regulations, there is sufficient capacity to

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additional development or “recycling”, in light of 1) existing uses on the site; 2) prevailing market

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Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
34 Table 3-2: Summary of Residential Capacity to Accommodate the 2023-2031 RHNA Source: ABAG, Final RHNA Plan, December 2021; City of Oakland, 2022 Residential Units
Very-Low-Income1,2 Low-Income1 Moderate-Income Above-Moderate-Income Total Total Credits 2,183 2,388 364 9,718 14,653
Pipeline Projects 1,213 1,498 166 9,716 12,593
Projected ADUs 890 890 198 0 1,978
Adequate Sites Alternative 80 0 0 2 82
Potential Development Projects 386 1,354 211 6,525 8,476 Vacant 225 846 27 1,832 2,930
Non-Vacant 161 508 184 4,693 5,546
Available 5th Cycle RHNA 714 4,029 688 688
Vacant 23 566 3 592
Non-Vacant 691 3,463 685 4,839
New Opportunity Sites 5,425 1,134 2,120 8,679
Vacant 142 200 0 342
Non-Vacant 5,283 934 2,120 8,337
Total Capacity 12,450 5,738 19,051 37,239
6th Cycle RHNA 10,261 4,457 11,533 26,251
RHNA + 15% Buffer 11,801 5,126 13,263 30,189
Surplus Over RHNA 2,189 1,281 7,518 10,988
(121.3%) (128.7%) (165.2%) (141.9%)

1. Low- and very-low-income capacity on opportunity sites is consolidated per default density assumptions as described in Government Code Section 65583.2(c)(3).

2. Extremely-low-income housing need is assumed to be 50% of the total very-low-income housing need, or about 3,256 units.

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Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
36 CREDITS TOWARDS THE RHNA
HCD Guidance provides that the RHNA can be accommodated by looking at 1) projects that are currently in the development pipeline; and 2) by considering alternative means of meeting the RHNA, such as projected accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and a limited number of rehabilitated, converted, or preserved units affordable to lower-income households.

Pipeline Projects
Pipeline projects are projects that have been approved, permitted, or will receive a Certificate of Occupancy during the projection period (June 30, 2022, to December 15, 2030) and can be credited toward the 6th cycle RHNA. Using data from the City’s Accela permitting system, 336 pipeline projects with 12,593 units are spread across the city, with the majority in the Downtown, West Oakland, Eastlake/Fruitvale, and North Oakland/Adams Point areas. Based on the affordability levels or projected rents specified on the project proposal, approximately 21.5 percent of pipeline capacity is affordable for lower-income households, while 1.3 percent is affordable for moderate-income households. The remainder is assumed to be affordable for above-moderate-income households. All pipeline projects are shown in Table C-4, Table C-5, and Table C-6, and shown in Figure C-2 in Appendix C.

Projected ADUs
Cities may consider the development potential of ADUs or junior ADUs (JADUs) to meet the RHNA using past building permit approval patterns since 2018. From 2018 to 2021, approximately 247 permits were issued annually. Using a conservative estimate, the City anticipates approximately 1,978 ADUs, or approximately 247 average permits per year times eight years.) Annual ADU approvals are shown in Table C-7 in Appendix C. To estimate affordability during the projection period, the City used the results of its recent online survey of ADU owners.13 Projected ADU capacity by affordability level is shown in Appendix, Table C-8.

Adequate Alternative Sites
According to HCD, under “limited circumstances” a local government may credit up to 25 percent of their adequate sites requirement per income category through existing units.14 Limited circumstances refer to sites that are substantially rehabilitated; located on a foreclosed property or in a multifamily complex of three or more units converted from non-affordable to affordable rental; preserved at levels affordable to low- or very-low-income households with committed assistance; or preservation of mobile home parks through acquired spaces.

According to Oakland HCD’s 2021-2023 Strategic Action Plan, the City has acquired and converted and/or preserved 600 affordable units between 2018 and 2020. As an ongoing City strategy, there are a number of units that the City will convert and/or preserve during the 2023-2031 planning period. The affordability of these projects reflects the actual affordability levels pursuant to the 13 This survey was conducted in preparation of the “Oakland ADU Initiative: Existing Conditions and Barriers Report,” which was published January 2020 and revised June 2020. There were 56 responses to the question “How much does the current ADU occupant pay in rent per month? If the occupant is staying in the ADU for free, then mark $0.” 14 More specific conditions that sites included under this option must meet are provided by HCD on their website:
https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/building-blocks/site-inventory-analysis/adequate-sites-alternative.shtml Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
37

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Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
38

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15 Gov. Code, § 8890.50. subd. (b). 16 To quantify access to opportunity at the neighborhood level, State HCD and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) convened to form the California Fair Housing Task Force to develop Opportunity Maps that visualize accessibility of low-income adults and children to resources within a jurisdiction. High Resource areas are those that offer low-income adults and children the best access to a high-quality education, economic advancement, and good physical and mental health.

Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
39 The Inventory was developed in a manner consistent with the City’s mandate to fair housing (AFFH), pursuant to State law. Given the City’s inability to meet the 5th cycle RHNA for Ǧ Ǧ
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Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
41

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17 A transit-rich area is defined by MTC as one in which 50 percent of the area is within one half-mile of the following: an existing rail station or ferry terminal (with bus or rail service); a bus stop with peak service frequency of 15 minutes or less; and a planned rail station or planned ferry terminal (with bus or rail service) in the most recently adopted fiscally-constrained Regional Transportation Plan.

Chapter 3: Sites Inventory Summary
42 promote market rate development in gentrifying neighborhoods do not lead to the displacement of residents who call that neighborhood home.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
43 4 Housing Action Plan

4.1 Goals, Policies, and Actions
This chapter includes the City of Oakland’s goals, policies, and actions critical to respond to increasing housing pressures in Oakland. First, this Housing Element identifies a foundational framework of five overarching goals to comprehensively address the housing crisis and needs of Oaklanders. The goals seek to significantly address disparities in housing needs and access to opportunity, replace segregated living patterns with truly integrated and balanced living patterns, transform racially and ethnically concentrated areas of poverty into areas of opportunity, foster and maintain compliance with civil rights, and affirmatively further fair housing. The five goals are:

1. Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement and Prevent Homelessness

2. Preserve and Improve Existing Housing Stock

3. Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities

4. Address Homelessness and Expand Resources for the Unhoused

5. Promote Neighborhood Stability and Health
While these five goals provide an overall framework for addressing the multifaceted housing crisis, the policies and actions specify the means for implementing those goals. Actions include both programs currently in operation as well as new actions needed to address the city’s housing needs.

Goal 1. Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement
and Prevent Homelessness
The San Francisco Bay Area is decades into an extreme housing crisis, and Oakland is at the center of that crisis. Housing production, and particularly affordable housing production, has not kept pace with the region’s economic growth. Because Oakland’s rental and housing market has traditionally been less expensive than other Bay Area cities, Oakland residents experience disproportionately high displacement pressure. As a result, many Oakland Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
44 residents cannot afford to buy or rent a home within their own neighborhood.18 As households displaced from more expensive Bay Area communities search for more affordable housing options in Oakland and higher-income households continue to move into the city, Oakland’s existing residents continue to bear the brunt of the Bay Area’s housing crisis.19 Community investment, including building new housing, is crucial for all Oakland neighborhoods to prevent displacement.20 With demand outpacing the limited housing supply, competition for finite units and the resulting rising rents may create displacement pressure on low-income residents. Research by the Changing Cities Research Lab at Stanford University and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on credit score data shows that lower income residents who move from historically Black neighborhoods tend to move to neighborhoods with lower housing values and health scores, suggesting movement under constrained circumstances; over time, fewer of these low-income movers stayed within Oakland or moved into Oakland as affordable options declined.21 Rising rents are a factor in increasing rates of homelessness. According to a 2019 survey, 11 percent of unsheltered Oakland residents report that rent increases were a primary cause of homelessness, in addition to job loss (13 percent) and other money issues (10 percent).22 Oakland is committed to enabling renters and owners to stay in their homes and communities, eliminating all involuntary moves out of the city. Goals and policies that are part of a comprehensive protection strategy are designed to prevent displacement and homelessness, and to ensure that low-income renters and homeowners have supports they need to stay in their homes and communities as increased neighborhood investment occurs.

HOW THIS GOAL AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERS FAIR HOUSING
To meet the City’s equity goals and mandate to affirmatively further fair housing, this goal— including the policies and actions contained within—will advance the City’s commitment to reducing racial and economic disparities across Oakland. This goal seeks to protect from displacement pressures and prevent homelessness, both of which disproportionately impact Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities throughout Oakland. For instance, enhanced tenant protections will crack down on tenant-based racial discrimination in the housing market. This will be particularly important as the eviction moratorium established during the COVID-19 pandemic eventually comes to an end, and further pressure is exerted on the residential rental market.
18 Policy Link, “A Roadmap Toward Equity: Housing Solutions for Oakland, California.” 2015. 19 Urban Displacement Project, “Mapping Displacement, Gentrification, and Exclusion in the San Francisco Bay Area.” 2018. Available at https://www.urbandisplacement.org/maps/sf-bay-area-gentrification-and-displacement/. 20 Office of Policy Development and Research, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, “Displacement of Lower-Income Families in Urban Areas Report.” May 2018. Available at https://www.huduser.gov/portal/sites/default/files/pdf/DisplacementReport.pdf. 21 Hwang, Jackelyn, and Vineet Gupta. “Residential and Neighborhood Instability in Oakland.” 2021. Available at https://ccrl.stanford.edu/publications/residential-and-neighborhood-instability-in-oakland. 22 City of Oakland, “Homelessness County & Survey: Comprehensive Report.” 2019. Available at https://everyonehome.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/2019HIRDReport_Oakland_2019-Final.pdf.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
45 Rent stabilization and just cause protections also ensure that as more amenities are added to a neighborhood (and it becomes higher resource), the existing diverse residents are able to stay. Residents of historically disinvested neighborhoods should be able to remain in their homes and enjoy the results of improved amenities and increased services. In the long-term, this will enhance access to opportunity for historically marginalized and disadvantaged communities. Further, by pursuing live/work preferences for Oakland residents and taking actions to assist tenants at risk of eviction, Oakland helps tenants avoid displacement or concentration in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Through more robust data collection efforts, the City will also be able to better identify and correct barriers to opportunity. These efforts include the creation of a rental registry and other displacement measure tracking. More accurate data will also ensure that the City is able to better target its existing and future housing resources to generate the maximum impact.

POLICY 1.1. TENANT PROTECTIONS AND ANTI-DISPLACEMENT
Action 1.1.1: Continue to Implement the Rent Adjustment Program (RAP).

The RAP limits rent increases on units covered by the Rent Adjustment Ordinance (Chapter

8.22 of the Oakland Municipal Code) based on a formula tied to increases in the Consumer Price Index. These provisions were further strengthened in 2017. The City will continue to implement the RAP and enforce the Rent Adjustment Ordinance. The City also enforces AB 1482 rent increase caps and just provisions for certain units not covered by the City’s ordinances.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: All tenant rights and protections under applicable City and State law will be enforced.

Action 1.1.2: Enforce Just Cause for Eviction measures.

Just Cause for Evictions protections are enforced as part of the RAP, and are contained within Chapter 8.22, Article II of the Oakland Municipal Code. The City will continue to enforce just cause measures and will expand tenant protections as feasible—including clarifying and limiting the definition of nuisance or other just cause evictions.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Public Works Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Department of Transportation
Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
46 Objective: All tenant rights and protections under applicable City and State law will be enforced.

Action 1.1.3: Strengthen Ellis Act Ordinance protections.

The Ellis Act is statewide law that permits property owners to terminate tenancy when withdrawing residential units from the rental market. Although the City cannot prohibit Ellis Act evictions, it has adopted the Ellis Act Ordinance (Chapter 8.22, Article III of the Oakland Municipal Code) to set specific requirements that must be followed when removing a property to discourage violations of the Act and prevent the displacement of renters. The City will continue to enforce the Ordinance and strengthen renter protections—including proactive enforcement of eviction protections—in case of an Ellis Act eviction where feasible.

The City will also join neighboring Bay Area cities to advocate for statewide reform to the Ellis Act to stabilize rental housing.

Action 1.1.4: Implement and expand tenant relocation measures.

On January 16, 2018, the City of Oakland passed the Uniform Residential Tenant Relocation Ordinance (Ord. No. 13468) to establish a uniform schedule of relocation payments which are now extended to tenants evicted when the owner or qualifying relative moves in and for other “no tenant fault” evictions. The Uniform Relocation Ordinance (Ordinance) requires owners to provide relocation payments to tenants displaced by code compliance activities, owner or relative move-ins, Ellis Act activity, and condominium conversions. The City will continue to implement and enforce the Ordinance, adjusting base payments for inflation annually on July 1st. Additional relocation payments shall be required for tenant households in rental units that include lower-income, elderly or disabled tenants, and/or minor children.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
47 Action 1.1.5: Provide eviction defense and implement a right to counseling.

The City will explore the feasibility of implementing a tenant right to counsel, where all tenants who receive an eviction notice or have been served with an unlawful detainer lawsuit have right to free legal representation. This may include partnering with nonprofit organizations to provide those services.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Private donations or other local, State or federal sources as available
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023- 2031
Objective: As funding permits, all tenants facing eviction will be provided with counsel to represent them during eviction proceedings.

Action 1.1.6: Expand rent control in a limited manner to maintain affordability.

Rent control measures are outlined in Oakland’s Rent Adjustment Ordinance and enforced through the RAP. Units are covered by the Rent Adjustment Ordinance if they are within a building built prior to 1983 and there are two or more units in the building. The City will consider a limited expansion of the number of units subject to rent control to maintain affordability.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: To the extent permitted by State law, Oakland will expand renter protections.

Action 1.1.7: Monitor neighborhood displacement risk factors.

As the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to unfold and eviction moratoriums lift, there is an urgent need to monitor displacement pressures. The City will regularly monitor displacement risk factors—including rising housing costs, rapid demographic changes, neighborhood instability, and trends in out- and in-migration across neighborhoods in Oakland—to understand local displacement risk. This data will be used to better target antidisplacement programs and prioritize neighborhoods with a high risk of displacement. This data will also be used to better understand the causes of displacement and help tailor City programs to meet existing housing needs. The City will carry out the bi-annual Resident Mini Pulse Survey on the state of housing security as part of these monitoring efforts.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
48 Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment fee Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City of Oakland will include displacement-related statistics in a broader housing or community dashboard available on the City website.

Action 1.1.8: Create and maintain a rental housing registry.

A rental housing registry is a database of all rental units within Oakland and would be used to track properties subject to rent control provisions, Just Cause for Eviction measures, and other property-specific policies and requirements. RAP staff have been studying the effectiveness of a rental housing registry in Oakland and plan to present initial findings to City Council during the summer of 2022. The City could use data collected in the rental housing registry to monitor and understand neighborhood change at a more granular level, to better target anti-displacement policies, and ensure that rent increases are compatible with tenant protection law.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: By 2023, the City will design and implement a rental housing registry.

Action 1.1.9: Continue and expand the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO).

The TPO (Chapter 8.22, Article V of the Oakland Municipal Code) is meant to deter harassment by property owners and provide tenants legal recourse if they are harassed by the property owner. The TPO provides civil remedies for violations and implements tenant anti-harassment actions. The City will continue to enforce the TPO and expand antiharassment protections, including tenant protections in ADUs.

Action 1.1.10: Enforce the tenant right to return.

Currently, through the Tenant Move Out Agreement Ordinance, Oakland renters have the right to return to their rental unit after certain no-fault evictions, such as code compliance evictions after the repairs are completed or Ellis Act evictions if the units are re-rented.

Further, State law (SB 330) requires that property developers provide the right to return for Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
49 Ǧ
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ʹǤʹǤͷ ͵͵ͲǤ Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: All tenant rights and protections under applicable City and State law will be enforced.

Action 1.1.11: Provide a local preference in affordable housing projects.

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Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Annual Rent Adjustment Fee
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will continue to provide Oakland residents and workers a preference for City-funded affordable housing to the extent allowed by law and the constraints of other involved funding sources.

Action 1.1.12: Negotiate for appropriate community benefits during development agreement approvals for major entitlements and use of City land. Ǧ
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Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department, Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: Permit fees
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
50 Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Significantly reduce displacement pressures through negotiating appropriate community benefits during the development agreements process.

Action 1.1.13: Prevent Oakland residents from becoming homeless/Fewer people become homeless.

Keep Oakland Housed (a public-private partnership), the federally funded Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP), and Lifelong Medical Care Services that help renters from becoming homeless through rental assistance, legal advice, housing counseling, and case management.

The City will continue to support and align City, Alameda County, and private partners (such as community-based and faith-based organizations that have roots in communities whose members are disproportionately at risk of homelessness) to strengthen their capacity to prevent displacement and respond effectively when people are experiencing a housing crisis, as well as expanding these types of programs and designing new ones that identify, assist, and prioritize funding for those who are most at risk of becoming homeless. In addition, the City will continue to make information about tenant protection, anti-displacement, rental assistance, and homelessness services available on the City’s website and at City facilities and strive to improve public awareness of these programs. These efforts are especially key in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and the eventual end of the eviction moratorium. Additional tenant protection actions are included in Actions 1.1.1-1.1.10.

Responsible Party: Oakland Human Services Department; Oakland Housing and Community Development Department
Potential Funding Source: Federal ERAP funds, private contributions, other local, State, and federal resources as available
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: 100% of available rent relief and eviction prevention funds are spent according to funder guidelines.

Goal 2. Preserve and Improve Existing Affordable Housing Stock
Oakland’s existing affordable housing stock is an important resource for the city’s lower- and moderate-income population. Housing preservation means retaining existing built affordable housing and extending its affordability for current and future tenants. Preventing the loss of valuable existing affordable units is a cost-effective way of maintaining this resource as well as keeping existing residents who may be more vulnerable to increasing cost pressures in their homes.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
51 Preservation, improvement, and maintenance also have health and equity co-benefits— addressing housing habitability issues can help to narrow inequitable racial and ethnic gaps in substandard housing conditions and reduce the burden of maintenance challenges for lower-income homeowners. This goal includes policies and actions that conserve and improve existing housing stock.

HOW THIS GOAL AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERS FAIR HOUSING
This goal sets forth several policies and actions that will advance fair housing in Oakland.

Actions that physically rehabilitate housing units and make other safety improvements to the existing housing stock reduce displacement and ensure longtime residents are able to enjoy new community amenities. This physical rehabilitation also improves the environmental determinants of health, thereby advancing the City’s Environmental Justice goals. Further, as discussed in Appendices B and D, BIPOC residents of Oakland are disproportionately impacted by substandard housing issues. Actions contained within this goal will reduce the prevalence of these substandard housing issues citywide. Universal design strategies will also increase housing access for seniors and people with disabilities.

Further, actions that preserve the affordability of existing homes also play a key role in preventing displacement and allowing lower-income and BIPOC tenants to remain in place despite the gentrification of their neighborhoods. These actions include range from resale controls to demolition and conversion protections. A Community Opportunity to Purchase/Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, if adopted, would allow for tenants to access the wealth building and stability of benefits of homeownership. Historic preservation actions also preserve cultural institutions and history that would otherwise be at risk of loss due to gentrification.

POLICY 2.1 EXISTING HOUSING STOCK IMPROVEMENT
Action 2.1.1: Support home rehabilitation programs.

The City will continue to provide housing rehabilitation assistance to very low- and lowincome homeowners and homeowners with special housing needs to address code violations, repair to major building systems in danger of failure, abatement of lead-based paint hazards, minor home repairs for seniors, and emergency repairs:
• Home Maintenance & Improvement Program (HMIP) Deferred Loan Program • Emergency Home Repair Program Loan Program
• Weatherization and Energy Retrofit Loan Program
• Alameda County Minor Home Repair Grant Program
• Lead Hazard Control and Paint Program
• Neighborhood Housing Rehabilitation Program
• Access Improvement Program
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
52 The City will engage local partners and fair housing experts to help promote awareness of, and broad participation in these programs. The City will continue to implement, annually review, and revise, as needed, program guidelines for housing rehabilitation assistance. The City will target resources, as possible, to expand opportunities throughout the community, including in lower-income and lower resource areas, and will strive to build community capacity and technical know-how by connecting homeowners with local labor to carry out home rehabilitation projects. This assistance will be particularly targeted to neighborhoods experiencing or at severe risk of displacement and gentrification. The City will also commit to explore additional funding sources for rehabilitation work beyond limited CDBG funds, which provides funding for many of Oakland HCD’s programs.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development, Residential Lending Division
Potential Funding Source: Community Development Block Grants and potentially other funding sources as available
Timeline: Ongoing throughout the 2023-2031 period and beyond Objective: As funding is available, the City of Oakland will continue to fund and operate home rehabilitation programs. At current funding trends, this will allow for approximately 80 rehabilitation projects each year.

Action 2.1.2: Promote healthy homes and lead-safe housing.

The City will continue implementation of the Lead-Safe Homes Program to assist low- and moderate-income homeowners with lead paint identification and remediation, prioritizing resources for disadvantaged communities with high rates of asthma. The City will also continue to partner with the Alameda County Community Development Agency’s Healthy Homes Department to provide education, lead-safety skills training, and on-site consultations for Oakland property owners and conduct lead poisoning prevention and asthma trigger interventions for Oakland residents. In accordance with Oakland’s Equitable Climate Action Plan 2030, transition away from natural gas appliances, which has been proven to increase development of asthma in children by 24 percent.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development, Residential Lending Division
Potential Funding Source: Community Development Block Grants and potentially other funding sources as available
Timeline: Ongoing throughout the 2023-2031 period and beyond Objective: As funding becomes available, the City of Oakland will implement programs to reduce health hazards from lead and natural gas appliances.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
53 Action 2.1.3: Conduct proactive rental inspections.

The City will develop a proactive, data-driven housing inspection program to track code compliance, with focus on safety, and housing quality among the City’s rental stock. The City will work with community partners to develop appropriate enforcement mechanisms, including tenant protection and anti-displacement mechanisms to ensure tenants are not displaced as a result of proactive inspections turning up housing habitability issues and/or raising rents due to the cost of fixing habitability issues. Further, the City will prioritize inspections in areas with older housing stock and health disparities and seek funding to streamline the inspection/rehabilitation process by connecting property-owners to technical and financial assistance for safety and accessibility improvements at the time of inspection.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees Timeline: 2023-2025
Objective: The City will develop a proactive rental inspections program to significantly improve housing safety and quality and address housing needs, particularly in areas with older housing stock and communities experiencing health disparities.

Action 2.1.4: Support historic preservation and rehabilitation.

The City will support the preservation and rehabilitation of both the existing historic housing stock and adaptively reused non-residential structures through a variety of strategies, including continued implementation of Mills Act Contracts and the Oakland Community Buying Program. The City will support the preservation of historic, archaeological, and tribal cultural resources and their incorporation into project site planning where feasible. As described in Action 3.2.4, the City will also promote adaptive reuse to promote historic preservation.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will continue to implement the Mills Act and the Oakland Community Buying Program to support to help support historic preservation.

Action 2.1.5: Implement universal design strategies.

The City will initiate community engagement to understand the need for universal design strategies, including with seniors, people experiencing disabilities, and community-based Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
54 organizations with insight and experience with accessibility issues. The City will consider the adoption of a Universal Design Ordinance, which would help close loopholes, ensure good faith compliance of ADA provisions, ensure that accommodations are built into new developments, and allow Oaklanders to age in place.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees Timeline: 2025-2027
Objective: The City will consider adopting a Universal Design Ordinance to address housing needs and improve housing conditions for seniors, people experiencing disabilities, and other communities with accessibility issues.

Action 2.1.6: Explore funding for improved indoor air quality.

The City will explore State and federal funding sources to provide financial assistance to property owners and very low- and low-income homeowners to offset some of the cost of investing in better ventilation and air filtration systems (e.g., MERV filter systems) to improve indoor air quality in existing single- and multifamily residential units, with a priority for homes in high air pollution areas such as near freeways.

Responsible Party: Oakland Public Works Department, Environmental Services Division
Potential Funding Source: State and Federal Environmental Health Agencies Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Significantly improve indoor air quality and address housing need in existing single- and multifamily residential buildings.

POLICY 2.2 PRESERVE THE AFFORDABILITY OF EXISTING HOMES Action 2.2.1: Continue to implement resale controls on assisted housing.

The City will continue to use financing agreements for both City-assisted ownership and rental development projects to ensure that units remain permanently affordable through covenants running with the land.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: HOME, HUD, CALHFA, County, misc. State/Federal housing programs, AHP private funds
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
55 Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: 100% of City-assisted homeownership and rental units will have their affordability covenants effectively enforced.

Action 2.2.2: Enforce, monitor, and preserve affordable housing covenants with an emphasis on “at-risk” units.

The City will proactively monitor and enforce affordable housing covenants, and will conduct outreach to the owners of assisted units that are at risk of conversion to market-rate housing.

The City will prioritize the preservation of units at some level of risk of converting in the next 10 years by actively working with and encouraging the owners of those properties to extend their covenants.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: HOME, HUD, CALHFA, County, misc. State/Federal housing programs, AHP private funds
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: As funding becomes available, deed-restricted affordable housing units at risk of losing their affordability will be protected from a loss of affordability protections.

Action 2.2.3: Enforce residential demolition and conversion restrictions for residential hotels.

Residential hotels, also referred to as single-room occupancy (SRO) units, provide an important source of deeply affordable housing in City. As such, Oakland has enacted regulations to limit the demolition, conversion, and rehabilitation to charge higher rents of existing residential hotel units. The City has recently amended these regulations (Chapter

17.153 of the Oakland Planning Code) to strengthen protections for residential hotels and will continue to enforce these protections to preserve their affordability.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Continue to enforce Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) regulations to preserve affordability and meet housing need.

Action 2.2.4: Limit condominium conversions.

The conversion of rental housing to condominiums provides a risk to the affordability of Oakland’s housing stock. The City recently amended its condominium conversion regulations Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
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adopted regulations to preserve Oakland’s rental housing supply.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Continue to enforce condominium conversion regulations to preserve rental housing supply and prevent displacement.

Action 2.2.5: Extend local replacement unit provisions.

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Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Codify and extend local replacement unit provisions to ensure compliance and prevent displacement.

Action 2.2.6: Reduce housing speculation.

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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
57 Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Finance
Potential Funding Source: General Plan Fund for the study; self-funding, if implemented
Timeframe: 2026
Objectives: Study and consider implementing an anti-speculation tax to prevent displacement.

Action 2.2.7: Provide additional subsidy for residential hotels.

The City will consider allowing owners of residential hotels that agree to restrict occupancy to lower-income residents to transfer development rights to create an endowed source of funding for an internal subsidy for such residents, or for maintenance/facility upgrades that do not increase rents.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeframe: 2025-2027
Objectives: Preserve SROs and meet housing need.

Action 2.2.8: Investigate a Tenant/Community Opportunity to Purchase Act.

A Tenant/Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, referred to as TOPA/COPA, gives tenants and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to purchase their home when it goes up for sale, thereby preserving that housing unit as affordable. TOPA/COPA policies are under development in multiple Bay Area cities, including Oakland and the neighboring City of Berkeley. The City will study the effectiveness of a TOPA/COPA model suited to local conditions, which may include targeted TOPA/COPA in certain neighborhoods, equitybuilding mechanisms, racial equity impact considerations, or other approaches that may be appropriate to Oakland.

Responsible Agency: City Council; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: Impact fees, General Fund, infrastructure bond funds, HOME, CDBG, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Investigate and, if applicable, implement a TOPA/COPA policy (if appropriate) by 2024-2025
Objective: Oakland will study, and if appropriate implement, a TOPA/COPA policy by 2025.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
58 Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
59 Goal 3. Expand Affordable Housing Opportunities

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meet Oakland’s affordable housing needs. The City will also encourage models that
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HOW THIS GOAL AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERS FAIR HOUSING
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for those who choose to live there, while simultaneously investing in “lower resource” neighborhoods. Increasing affordability and expanding the housing types Ǧ

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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
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State Housing Element law defines “special needs” groups to include persons with disabilities ȋ
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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
62 such as zero-step entrances and single floor living are important considerations for senior housing.

Special needs housing is an important component of Oakland’s commitment to just and fair treatment of all individuals. It is critical that housing conditions foster an environment where everyone can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. Actions contained within this goal will expand funding sources for affordable housing, including bonus points for serving special needs populations, will together allow for the expansion of affordable opportunities for special needs populations in high-opportunity neighborhoods. Actions related to expanding affordable housing options that are accessible to extremely-low-income households are also contained under Policy 3.1.

POLICY 3.1 FACILITATE PRODUCTION OF DEEPLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING25 Action 3.1.1. Develop a project-based rental or operating subsidy program for extremelylow-income residents.

Create either a capitalized operating subsidy or a rental housing subsidy for extremely-lowincome households. This will help promote the financial viability of extremely-low-income housing.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Timeline: Program will be launched by December 2023
Potential Funding Source: State of California Permanent Local Housing Allocation Objective: This program will fund project-based rental or operating subsidy for at least 16 units of extremely-low-income housing per year, for a total of at least 56 extremely-low-income units by 2031.

Action 3.1.2. Align and target Oakland Housing Authority Section 8 Vouchers for permanent supportive housing and extremely-low-income units.

The Oakland Housing Authority will continue targeting vouchers to support the development of extremely-low-income Housing through the award of project-based vouchers.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Housing Authority
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Potential Funding Source: Federal Section 8 and/or VASH vouchers. 25 Deeply Affordable housing for persons at 30% area median income or below.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
63 Objective: As vouchers are available, at least 20% of units in assisted developments will be deed restricted as extremely-low-income.

POLICY 3.2 CREATE A MORE DIVERSE MIX OF HOMES TO MEET COMMUNITY NEEDS Action 3.2.1: Develop zoning standards to encourage missing middle and multi-unit housing types in currently single-family-dominated neighborhoods, including flats, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, townhomes/rowhouses, and ADUs.

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Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees, 2415 fund of the City, SB2 Grant for Objective Design Standards
Timeframe: 2023
Objective: Significantly increase production of multi-unit housing types (including duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes) in current single-family-dominated neighborhoods to match housing need.

Action 3.2.2: Promote live/work housing and housing for artists. Ȁ
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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
64 conversion of existing commercial nonresidential buildings to joint live/work units in specific commercial/industrial locations while considering the impacts on nearby viable businesses.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
65 Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees, 2415 fund of the City, SB2 Grant for Objective Design Standards
Timeframe: 2025
Objective: Significantly increase production of live/work housing and housing for artists to match housing need.

Action 3.2.3: Promote flexibility in adaptive reuse to increase the housing stock.

The City will encourage the reuse and rehabilitation of Oakland’s historic building stock to provide additional housing units and housing Oakland residents, keep the neighborhood character, and to preserve the energy embodied in the building’s original construction. The City will amend land use regulations and development standards in the Planning Code to reduce constraints on adaptive reuse of commercial buildings for residential use. Reuse in environmentally sensitive areas—including in warehouses adjacent to industrial uses—will consider health and safety impacts prior to approval.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees, 2415 fund of the City, SB2 Grant for Objective Design Standards
Timeframe: 2025
Objective: Significantly increase reuse and rehabilitation of historic commercial buildings for residential use to match housing need.

Action 3.2.4: Provide financial incentives for older or lower-income homeowners who want ADUs.

The City will identify potential funding sources and community partners to develop and implement a financial assistance program that would provide loans and/or grants to support low-income and older homeowners who want to construct an ADU. The City may prioritize funding for homeowners who agree to charge rents affordable for lower-income households or rent the ADU to Housing Choice Voucher participants.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: Potential funding for an ADU incentive program could include funding from the State of California’s CalHome program, potential future State funding for ADU development, or local sources
Timeframe: Ongoing as funding becomes available, 2023-2031 Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
66 Objective: If funded, the City anticipates supporting at least 30 low-income and/or senior households with the cost of constructing on Accessory Dwelling Unit. This is based on the 30 loans projected for the existing CalHome grant the City has received to help low-income homeowners build ADUs.

Action 3.2.5: Reduce constraints to the development of ADUs.

On January 18, 2022, the City updated its zoning standards related to ADUs to be consistent with State law. The adopted local ordinance clarified and simplified existing requirements and offered additional allowances to encourage creation of ADUs that go went beyond the minimum requirements of State law. These additional allowances include higher maximum heights allowing for two-story ADUs, reduced setbacks in some zones, larger maximum sizes for detached ADUs, and an introduced ADU amnesty from Planning Code requirements allowing homeowners with existing un-permitted ADUs to legalize them. Also, this zoning update removed setback requirements and allowed additional envelope expansion of existing structures to create livable-size ADUs on “small lots” where ADUs would not be feasible under previous requirements.

The City will continue to host pre-approved ADU plans on its website to facilitate reduced applicant cost and expedited review for ADUs. The City will also provide increased staffing capacity to create a “one-stop shop” for information to property owners, contractors, and tenants. The City will invest in community outreach and education to teach property owners about ADU construction, financing, and landlord responsibilities. The City will also consider developing a database through which property owners can find and hire local workers to build ADUs. The City will also study how its implementation of the building code may constrain the legalization of unpermitted ADUs.

Responsible Party: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees, SB2 Grant for Objective Design Standards
Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Significantly increase production of ADUs to match housing need.

POLICY 3.3 EXPAND RESOURCES FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOMES Action 3.3.1: Sale or ground-lease of City-owned property for affordable housing.

The City will solicit proposals from interested developers to construct housing on City-owned sites with first consideration given for affordable housing projects, pursuant to the California Surplus Lands Act. If the City does not agree to price and terms with an affordable housing developer and disposes of the surplus land to an entity that develops 10 or more residential units on the property, the City will require the entity to provide at least 15 percent of the developed units at an affordable housing cost or affordable rent to specified income groups, Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
67 as required by Government Code Section 54233. The City will consider depositing up to 100 percent of net proceeds from such sales or leases to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Requests for proposals will be posted on the City’s website and distributed directly to developers, including nonprofit housing providers.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Economic & Workforce Development Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Donation of land value
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: City will issue Notices of Availability and/or Requests for Proposals on at least two City-owned surplus sites each year.

Action 3.3.2: Expansion of Section 8 vouchers.

The City will continue to participate in the HUD-operated Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers program, and will continue to work with the Oakland Housing Authority to obtain additional funding from the federal government for more Section 8 rental assistance for very-lowincome renters by documenting the need for additional housing vouchers and contacting decision-makers at HUD as appropriate. The City will also advocate for additional funding as opportunities such as the American Recovery Act become available. Further, the City will work with nonprofit and community-based partners to educate property owners throughout the city about housing choice vouchers to encourage greater participation and to increase locational choices for voucher holders (see Action 5.2.7).

Responsible Agency: Oakland Housing Authority, Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: HUD Section 8 vouchers
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City of Oakland Housing Authority will increase the number of vouchers being used in proportion with any future federal expansion of Section 8 or similar programs.

Action 3.3.3: City of Oakland Rental Assistance Program.

As funding allows, the City will build on the success of the Keep Oakland Housed program, a public-private partnership , and the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance program (ERAP) to offer rental assistance grants to distressed tenants, free legal consultation, eviction defense, case management, and employment and financial counseling. The City will work with community partners to expand public awareness of the rental assistance program and tenant rights to ensure access to timely access information.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
68 Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: State and federal emergency rental assistance funding, private donations, and other local funds as available
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: 100% of tenants facing eviction will have access to counsel by the end of the Housing Element cycle. At least 250 households will be provided financial assistance to stay in their housing each year, or more if additional funding becomes available.

Action 3.3.4: Develop permanent housing affordable to extremely-low-income (ELI) households on public land.

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Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Economic & Workforce Development Department; Oakland Human Services Department
Potential Funding Source: Donation of land value, City subsidy Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: City will issue Notices of Availability and/or Requests for Proposals on at least two City-owned surplus sites each year.

Action 3.3.5: Implement an affordable housing overlay.

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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
69 Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 - 2024
Objective: Study and consider adopting an affordable and/or moderate-income housing overlay to meet housing need.

Action 3.3.6: Access to low-cost financing for development.

The City currently awards local funding that affordable housing developers leverage to obtain financing for their projects. As funding allows, the City will continue to award funds to affordable housing developers on favorable terms—including simple low interest rate, payment of principal and interest due from excess cash flow from operations after payment of operating costs, senior debt, reserves and developer fee, and a 55-year loan term. The City will also continue to work with affordable developers to set loan terms in a way that will help maximize their ability to leverage funding from banks and other lending agencies. Further, the City will also continue to coordinate with developers to help ensure that they qualify for additional funding from county, State, and federal sources.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, local infrastructure bond funds, HOME funds, and other local, State, and federal funds as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Allocate all budgeted local funding sources (approximately $12 million annually starting in 2023) to support the construction, acquisition, and/or preservation of deed restricted affordable housing units each year. With $12 million in local funding forecasted in 2023, approximately 80 units could be created or preserved; of these, approximately 16 would be extremely-low-income. This will result in a total of 640 low-income units over the Housing Element period, including 128 extremely-low-income units, which would increase if more local funds are identified or secured such as a new local bond measure dedicated to funding affordable housing.

Action 3.3.7: Study the targeted implementation of an inclusionary housing requirement.

While the City generally relies on development impact fees to provide local funding for affordable housing developers, targeted inclusionary housing requirements may increase the provision of affordable housing units in higher resource neighborhoods. A study is underway as part of the five-year update to assess the benefits of impact fees versus inclusionary affordable housing requirements. The study will consider the number of units likely to be produced and likely affordability levels, and implement such requirements, if appropriate.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
70 Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025
Objective: Study and consider adopting targeted inclusionary housing requirements to meet housing need.

Action 3.3.8: Right-sized development fees on market-rate developments.

The City levies a number of development impact fees, including affordable housing impact fees, on market-rate projects to ensure that new development pays its fair share toward funding affordable housing, transportation improvements, and capital facilities. The City will regularly monitor its impact fees and ensure that appropriate amounts are set on an annual basis. Pursuant to the Mitigation Fee Act, the City will conduct a comprehensive analysis and make findings every five years for each impact fee along with review of whether to increase fees and if the option of building affordable housing units on-site percentage is set appropriately. The City will explore allowing developments to pay an in-lieu fee equivalent to the public art requirement to build art at affordable housing developments and promote neighborhood cultural preservation/stabilization.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Public Works Department; Department of Transportation (DOT)
Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees, and Impact Fees Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031; initiate next five-year update in 2027 Objective: Continue to monitor and adjust impact fees.

Action 3.3.9: Adjusting or waiving City fees and payment timing for affordable housing developments.

Affordable housing developers have pointed to the impact of City fees and the timing of fee payment, including both impact fees and building permits, as a constraint to development.

The City will explore ways to increase flexibility in payment timing and expand direct financial support to reduce the burden imposed by the collection of City fees.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department; City Administrator’s Office; Oakland Department of Finance
Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees, and General Fund for any reduction of fees
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Explore methods to reduce cost burden of City fees and payment timing to significantly increase affordable housing development.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
71 Action 3.3.10: Consider a citywide Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District (EIFD).
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Responsible Agency: City Administrator’s Office; Oakland Department of Finance Potential Funding Source: An EIFD would be a cost-recovering program for any implementation costs.

Timeline: By 2028, complete studying the possible implementation of an EIFD.

Objective: Study and consider implementing an EIFD to significantly increase affordable housing development and fund infrastructure improvements to match need.

Action 3.3.11: Support innovations by design.

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Objective: Significantly increase production of housing using construction innovations to match housing need.

Action 3.3.12: Continue the Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) Program.

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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
72 Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, local infrastructure bond funds, HOME funds, and other local, State, and federal funds as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Allocate approximately 25% of available local funding towards continuing the ACAH program.

Action 3.3.13: Expand availability of predevelopment funding and low cost debt products for affordable housing development.

The City will continue to allocate funding to support predevelopment funding for affordable housing projects using its existing local sources, to help relieve the costs associated with the entitlement process especially for emerging and BIPOC affordable developers. The City will also identify and secure low-cost debt products for affordable housing development. To this end, the City has applied to HUD for Section 108 authority to leverage its CDBG allocation to provide low interest debt for affordable housing. Because Section 108 are hard loans that require repayment, the repayments could be revolved to support ongoing pipeline. The City will use a data-informed approach to target its resources towards historically marginalized and redlined areas as well as to support the growth of emerging and BIPOC affordable developers.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, local infrastructure bond funds, HOME and Section 108 funds, and other local, State, and federal funds as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: As suitable funding and projects become available, predevelopment funding and low cost debt products will be made available for affordable housing development.

Action 3.3.14: Evaluate the creation of a leveraged acquisition fund or debt/equity funds for small sites to support site acquisitions for affordable housing.

Affordable housing developers indicated during outreach that competing with market rate developers for sites posed a barrier on their ability to acquire sites for development. The City typically provides gap financing commitments during predevelopment, with funds provided at construction finance closing; acquisition is an eligible cost for reimbursement by the City’s funding. While directly funding acquisition presents an earlier, riskier, and less efficient investment of the City’s limited funds, the City will consider the implementation of a leveraged acquisition fund to allow for faster and more efficient acquisition transactions. The City will also study the creation of debt and/or equity funds to support small site housing projects. If feasible and funding is available, this new fund may be similar in nature to the City and County of San Francisco’s Small Sites Program.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
73 Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, local infrastructure bond funds, HOME funds, and other local, State, and federal funds as available to leverage philanthropic and other outside resources.

Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: By the end of the Housing Element Cycle, the City will be able to report on the practicality of a leveraged acquisition fund, as well as the feasibility and appropriateness of a small sites fund.

Action 3.3.15: Continue and expand density bonus incentives.

Continue to implement the City’s density bonus ordinance and seek opportunities to expand the program, which offers developers density bonuses in exchange for the provision of affordable housing. Added provisions could include mixing and matching of low-income category percentages to get an additional bonus. Consider evaluating the density bonus ordinance and deed restrictions needed for the program to make the language more accessible and identify any unnecessary barriers that make it difficult for grassroots organizations and nonprofit developers to navigate this program.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023-2025, Ongoing
Objective: Significantly expand the City’s density bonus program and increase production of density bonus projects to match housing need.

Action 3.3.16: Consider revising the Real Estate Transfer Tax.

The real estate transfer tax, also called a Real Property Transfer Tax (RPTT), is due when a home is sold or gifted. The City will consider the following revisions to the RPTT:
• Make the tax more progressive at higher rates; and
• Use of a portion of the revised tax rate as a dedicated funding stream for affordable housing. This could provide annual revenues at levels significantly higher than current Impact Fee revenue.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Department of Finance
Potential Funding Source: General Fund for any applicable studies Timeline: Conduct the analysis by 2026
Objective: Complete an analysis by 2026.

Action 3.3.17: Support low-income, grassroots, and BIPOC affordable housing developers.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
74 The City will work with low-income, grassroots, and BIPOC affordable housing developers to identify barriers that prevent BIPOC and small nonprofit developers from accessing City funding and navigating the permitting process, and develop solutions to ensure that the process is transparent, affordable, and accessible for these Emerging Developers, defined by Oakland HCD as “a developer who has less than five (5) years of experience as a developer and/or less than five completed projects.” The City has secured a Breakthrough Grant from the San Francisco Foundation that will dedicate a full time fellow to facilitate this work of identifying and breaking down barriers for BIPOC and emerging developers to develop affordable housing in Oakland.

Responsible Agency: City Administration Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: San Francisco Foundation, General Plan Surcharge, and permit fees
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The proportion of City funding distributed for affordable housing development to low-income, grassroots and BIPOC affordable housing developers will significantly increase by 2031.

Action 3.3.18: Reauthorize Measure KK and release remaining funds.

Measure KK, a bond measure passed in 2016, has provided a significant source of funding for anti-displacement and affordable housing preservation projects. The City has released remaining Measure KK bond funds for resident-led and community land trust-supported preservation projects and homeless acquisition projects and will seek to reauthorize bond authority to increase the funding available for affordable housing.

Responsible Party: Oakland City Council and Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: General Fund and Local Infrastructure Bond Funds postMeasure KK Timeframe: Authorize local infrastructure bond by 2025, spend funds as available on an ongoing basis
Objectives: The size of the new infrastructure bond and the amount set-aside for Affordable Housing is still being determined. For reference, the Measure KK infrastructure bond of $100 million for affordable housing supported the new construction of over 700 units, the preservation of 420 units, and the acquisition and conversion of over 400 units. New construction projects will be prioritized for setting aside at least 20% of units for extremely-low-income populations.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
75 POLICY 3.4. REFORM ZONING AND LAND USE TO ADDRESS COMMUNITY PRIORITIES Action 3.4.1: Revise development standards, including allowable building heights, densities, open space and setbacks requirement.
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Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
76 Action 3.4.2: Revise Conditional Use Permit (CUP) requirements.

Conditional Use Permits are currently required for multifamily buildings in the RD-2 and RM Zones, which can act as a constraint on development – especially for affordable housing. The City will revise regulations to permit multi-unit building according to objective criteria such as building type and development size, without subjecting multi-unit residential projects to CUPs. Under Action 3.4.7, the City will create objective design standards and amend the Planning Code design review procedures to allow for streamlined review and, where appropriate, ministerial approval. The City will also actively promote and support use of SB 35 to streamline 100 percent affordable housing developments. These revised standards will be implemented alongside changes to Oakland’s RD, RM, and RU zones as described in Action

3.2.1. Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Action 3.4.3: Revise citywide parking standards.

Parking requirements are a major cost driver in residential development, and often conflict with sustainable development goals that seek to reduce dependence on automobile use. As such, the City recently eliminated residential parking minimums in the downtown area.

Continued revisions of Oakland’s parking standards will be undertaken through a comprehensive review of existing residential parking standards and the identification of appropriate new standards to match long-term development and environmental goals.

Additionally, for mixed-use development projects (commercial on ground floor and residential uses above), the City will explore flexibility in parking requirements so that additional residential development on these sites is not constrained by any lack of conformance with commercial parking regulations.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023-2026
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing.

Action 3.4.4: Revise open space requirements.

Both affordable and market-rate developers have pointed to the relatively high open space standards in Oakland as a constraint to development, especially for higher-density projects.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
77 The City will revise common and private open space standards for multi-family developments to increase the feasibility of residential projects.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023-2025
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Action 3.4.5: Correct zoning district boundaries that cut through parcels.

Oakland’s Zoning Map includes many zoning district boundaries that cut through individual parcels – meaning that the same parcel is subject to multiple development standards, which can act as a development constraint. In updating the Zoning Map, the City will correct instances of this occurrence and ensure that zoning district boundaries that affect allowed height and density follow parcel boundaries to the maximum extent feasible to remove inconsistencies and ambiguities.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Action 3.4.6: Capture the diversity of existing built fabric in zoning.

Oakland has a diverse historic urban fabric, some of which no longer conforms to the current Planning Code. To capture and continue this diversity and remove ambiguities, the City will reduce minimum lot sizes and setbacks to allow the creation of small-lot developments, as well as legitimize the many existing small-lot neighborhood patterns in West Oakland and other neighborhoods. The City will conduct a comprehensive review of the Planning Code to identify where current development standards have created non-conformities for older built facilities and amend development standards to reduce or eliminate them where appropriate.

The City will also provide flexibility in the objective standards to retain and promote the City’s vernacular built environment.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2026
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
78 Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
79 Action 3.4.7: Implement objective design standards.

The City currently requires design review for nearly all residential development, which can significantly lengthen the time required for project approval. To reduce the permitting timeline, the City has initiated a process to develop objective design standards to streamline the approval of residential, mixed-use, and commercial building types, with a particular focus on much-needed affordable housing projects in transit-rich areas. As opposed to "design guidelines,” objective design standards will not be subject to interpretation, and result in faster, more predictable approvals of high-quality development that respects Oakland's history and benefits the local community.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge, permit fees, and SB2 Grant for Objective Design Standards
Timeline: 2023 – 2024
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Action 3.4.8: Implement new ADU standards that streamline approvals and address unpermitted units.

In January 2022, the City updated its ADU regulations to comply with changes in State law.

To address unpermitted units, the new ADU regulations go beyond minimum compliance with State law and establish an expansive legalization process for unpermitted ADUs addressing not only any existing non-compliance issues with the Building Code but the Planning Code as well. The City has also initiated a program to allow pre-approved construction documents for ADUs that creates a more streamlined approval pathway for many homeowners The City will continue to implement this legalization and streamlining of ADU permitting processes. The City will study options to alleviate the burden of the building code on the legalization of unpermitted ADUs.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 and Ongoing
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

Action 3.4.10: Permit sites included in prior RHNA cycles to develop with affordable housing by right.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
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Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Reduce constraints to development to significantly increase production of housing to match housing need.

POLICY 3.5. EXPLORE INNOVATIVE AND ALTERNATIVE HOUSING MODELS Action 3.5.1: Support community land trusts and other shared equity models.
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Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Impact fees, General Fund, infrastructure bond funds, HOME, CDBG, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Funds will be made available to equity affordability models through the City’s annual affordable housing NOFA’s on an annual basis (2023-2031) Objective: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development will continue to make funds available to shared equity affordability models as per current practice.

Action 3.5.2: Support housing cooperatives, co-living, and cohousing models.
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Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
81 housing. To further support these initiatives, the City will conduct outreach with communitybased organizations and other community partners to identify ways the City can support these models, especially for lower-income residents. The City will prioritize lower-income residents and residents at risk of displacement when supporting these alternative housing models.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Impact fees, General Fund, infrastructure bond funds, HOME, CDBG, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: 2031; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development will be prepared to report back on the status of its cooperative-related engagement by the end of the Housing Element cycle
Objective: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development will be prepared to report back on the status of its cooperative-related engagement by the end of the Housing Element cycle.

Action 3.5.3: Advocate for statewide legislation on social housing.

The City of Oakland recognizes that the statewide housing crisis requires statewide solutions.

As such, the City will advocate for social housing legislation under consideration in the State legislature, known as the California Social Housing Act or AB 2053. The Act would establish a California Housing Authority (CHA) to produce and preserve social housing – publicly-owned and mixed-income developments that maintain homes as permanently affordable.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: City legislative advocacy will be funded through the existing general fund-supported contract for State legislative representation services.

Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031; the City will continue advocacy for social housing legislation until it is adopted
Objective: The State of California will successfully adopt social housing legislation.

Action: 3.5.4: Evaluate acquisition and development opportunities for moderate- and middle-income households.

The City will evaluate the merits of acquisition and development models to assist in the construction or preservation of middle-income housing, potentially in partnership with other regional agencies.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
82 Potential Funding Source: The model could be financed by bond financing underwritten by rental revenue, with relatively shallow subsidies in the form of property tax abatements
Timeline: Evaluation will be ongoing as opportunities evolve Objective: If a suitable opportunity exists to efficiently produce or preserve middle income housing, the City will design a program or participate in a program developed by other public agencies.

POLICY 3.6. STREAMLINE THE APPROVAL OF NEW HOUSING
Action 3.6.1: Streamline the City permitting process, especially for low-income and nonprofit builders.

The City will work with developers and housing stakeholders, particularly low-income and nonprofit builders, to review current processes and fees to identify actions to reduce costs and streamline the planning approval and building permit processes for small infill development. These actions could involve developing simplified CEQA compliance through qualified exemptions, implementing objective design standards as described in Action 3.4.7, and/or increasing staffing at the Planning and/or Building Bureau to reduce permit processing time. The City will regularly review and update its website to improve navigation and make information such as fee schedules, application forms, zoning ordinances, and other information available on the City’s website, along with other educational information to facilitate the permit process.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025 and ongoing
Objective: Significantly increase production of housing projects, specifically by lowincome and nonprofit builders, to match housing need.

Action 3.6.2: Provide increased flexibility in development standards.

The City will provide increased flexibility in development standards, with a focus on smaller infill residential projects, to ensure that these projects can qualify for streamlined permitting without need for variances. The City will also consider increasing staff-level authority, with clear guidelines, to grant minor exceptions, which can also reduce project timelines and costs.

Alongside efforts described in Actions 3.2.1, this flexibility will increase the capacity of the Planning Bureau to permit a variety of units, more expediently, creating more residential units in traditionally lower-density neighborhoods.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
83 Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025 and ongoing
Objective: Significantly increase production of housing projects, specifically by lowincome and nonprofit builders, to match housing need.

Action 3.6.3: Expand by-right approvals and implement entitlement reform for affordable housing.

Through the implementation of objective design standards as described in Action 3.4.7, the City will create a ministerial review pathway for qualifying developments based on project size, type, affordability level, and location. Discretionary design review will still be required for some types of projects and where certain adjustments are requested. As part of the entitlement reform process, the City will consider fee subsidies and/or payment deferrals to better accommodate affordable housing projects and increase the financial feasibility of affordable projects. The City will work with community partners and affordable housing developers to identify and implement appropriate entitlement reform actions.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department; Oakland Department of Finance
Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2025 and ongoing
Objective: Significantly increase production of housing projects, specifically by lowincome and nonprofit builders, to match housing need.

Action 3.6.4: Continue SB 35 streamlining.

SB 35 created a streamlined and ministerial approval process for housing projects that meet siting and construction criteria including being located in communities that have failed to meet their RHNA. The City of Oakland was among the 225 jurisdictions that made insufficient progress towards meeting the RHNA for low- and very-low-income housing at the time of the State’s most recent determination in 2021 and is therefore subject to the streamlining provisions for proposed development in which 50 percent or more of the units will be affordable. The City provides an SB 35 streamlining checklist to facilitate the development of affordable housing, and will actively promote use of SB 35 streamlining for 100 percent affordable projects.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 and ongoing
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
84 Objective: Significantly increase production of housing projects, specifically by lowincome and nonprofit builders, to match housing need.

Action 3.6.5: Continue one-stop and online permitting services.

Through the Online Permit Center (Accela Citizen Access), property owners are able to apply for and follow the status of their permits online. The City also operates an in-person One-Stop Permit Center, where the counter services of the Planning & Building Department, Oakland Fire Department, and Department of Transportation have been combined in one location to expedite the permitting process. The City will continue to offer both online and in-person permitting services to reduce permitting timelines. The City will also coordinate with lowincome and affordable housing developers to understand and correct the gaps in these services.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2031
Objective: Significantly increase production of housing projects, specifically by lowincome and nonprofit builders, to match housing need.

POLICY 3.7. EXPAND OPTIONS FOR SPECIAL NEEDS HOUSING
Action 3.7.1: Incentivize the development of senior housing and provide financial assistance to developers of housing for seniors and persons with special needs.

The City will continue to encourage a wide variety of senior housing opportunities, particularly for lower-income seniors with special needs, through the provision of financial assistance and regulatory incentives as specified in Planning Code. The City will continue to award points in its consideration of housing funding to projects that serve special needs populations, including seniors and homeless individuals. The City will explore options to expand the amount of financial assistance available to developers of housing for seniors and persons with special needs and will commit to transparent reporting of how special needs units are assisted.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Oakland Economic & Workforce Development Department; Oakland Planning & Building Department
Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, HOME, local infrastructure bond funds, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
85 Objective: The City will continue to provide bonus scoring points for special needs populations as found in current practices.

Action 3.7.2: Provide housing for persons with HIV/AIDS.

The City will continue to provide housing and associated supportive services for persons with HIV/AIDS through a combination of development of new housing, project-based assistance in existing affordable housing developments; and tenant-based assistance to allow households to find their own housing in the private market. The City will enhance outcomes via housing first model under the Alameda County EveryOne Home Plan.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, HOME, HOPWA, local infrastructure bond funds, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will continue to provide bonus scoring points for special needs populations as found in current practices.

Action 3.7.3: Accessible units in new housing developments.

The City of Oakland's Housing Development Services unit will promote the inclusion of accessible units for projects receiving City funding and will award extra points to projects that exceed federal minimum requirements for accessible housing for all projects receiving federal funding assistance.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, HOME, local infrastructure bond funds, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will continue to provide bonus scoring points for special needs populations as found in current practices.

Action 3.7.4: Implement the sponsor-based Housing Assistance Program.

The City will continue to work with the Oakland Housing Authority to assist households that otherwise might not qualify for or be successful in the traditional Public Housing and/or Section 8 programs by partnering with agencies to provide service-enriched housing options that increase housing choice for special needs populations. The City will explore options to find more landlords willing to participate in the program.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
86 Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, HOME, local infrastructure bond funds, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will continue to provide bonus scoring points for special needs populations as found in current practices.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
87 Action 3.7.5: Encourage different sizes of housing for larger families – including affordable housing with courtyards, multigenerational housing.

The City will continue to reward and incentivize projects that include multi-bedroom units suitable for families in its awards of City funding for housing development and will expand the program to grant points to affordable housing projects that provide different sizes of houses for multigenerational and larger families, such as housing with courtyards or cottages.

Action 3.7.6: Expand areas where residential hotels are permitted by right.

The City will consider expanding zoning districts where residential hotels and rooming houses are permitted by right. These housing typologies provide an important source of housing for extremely-low-income residents.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 – 2026
Objective: Significantly increase production of residential hotels to match housing need.

POLICY 3.8. CONVERT VACANT LAND AND UNITS TO HOUSING
Action 3.8.1: Continue to implement the Vacant Property Tax (VPT).

On November 6, 2018, Oakland voters approved Measure W, the Oakland VPT. The VPT Act establishes an annual tax of $3,000 to $6,000 on vacant property. A property is considered “vacant” if it is “in use less than fifty days in a calendar year,” and not subject to any of 10 exemptions. The City will continue to implement the VPT to encourage active uses on vacant land and regularly monitor the effectiveness of the program. The City will also consider expanding exemptions to the VPT to reduce the impacts of unintended hardships on nonprofit and affordable housing developers.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Finance; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: Self-funding through the vacant property tax Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
88 Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: Through the vacant parcel tax, seek a 10% reduction in vacant parcels by the end of the Housing Element period.

Action 3.8.2: Encourage the conversion of vacant ground floor commercial space to residential uses in appropriate locations.

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Responsible Agency: Oakland Planning & Building Department Potential Funding Source: General Plan Surcharge and permit fees Timeline: 2023 - 2026
Objective: Significantly increase conversion of vacant ground floor commercial space to residential uses, where appropriate, to match housing need.

Action 3.8.3: Consider a tax on all vacant residential rental units. ǡ

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Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Finance; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: General Fund
Timeline: Consider by the end of 2026 whether the vacant parcel tax ought to be revised or expanded
Objective: By the end of 2026, consider and if appropriate adopt a revision to the vacant parcel tax.

Action 3.8.4: Continue the Oakland Community Buying Program and support scattered site acquisition efforts.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
89 The City currently provides the Community Buying Program, which assists Oakland residents in purchasing vacant or abandoned properties from the Scattered-Site Single Family Acquisition and Rehabilitation Program. These properties have been made available through programs like the Oaktown Roots Affordable Homes pilot program and local community land trusts, like the Oakland Community Land Trust and the Bay Area Community Land Trust.

These programs will also help promote long-term affordable homeownership, which will also promote the objectives of Policy 5.1.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Department of Finance; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
Potential Funding Source: Development impact fees, HOME, local infrastructure bond, and other local, State, and federal funding as available Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: As additional funding is available, continue to convert vacant parcels to affordable housing.

Action 3.8.5. Partner with Alameda County Tax Collector to redevelop tax defaulted properties.

Partner with the Alameda County Tax Collector to identify tax-defaulted property suitable for development or preservation as affordable housing. Through use of the Chapter 8 tax sale program, make this property available to affordable housing providers, community land trusts, and related organizations.

Responsible Party: Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development Funding: Contributory value of the land, impact fees, HOME, other local, State, and federal funds as available
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: By the end of the Housing Element period, at least 40 parcels will be acquired by the City of Oakland or partner organizations that were previously tax defaulted.

Goal 4. Address Homelessness and Expand Services for
the Unhoused
The City of Oakland is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis of residents who are experiencing homelessness. As the United Nations notes in its mandate on the right to Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
90 adequate housing, the right to adequate housing is more than having a roof over one’s head, it is the right to live in safety and dignity in a decent home; HUD Secretary Fudge has declared that “housing is a human right.” Ultimately, permanent housing is the solution to homelessness (see Goal 3). Goals, policies, and actions in this Housing Action Plan recognize housing as a human right and support coordination across the spectrum, from homelessness prevention to transitional housing/shelter and services to permanent housing with resources for long-term support.

HOW THIS GOAL AFFIRMATIVELY FURTHERS FAIR HOUSING
Homelessness disproportionately impacts Oakland’s BIPOC residents, particularly the city’s Black residents. Further, special needs households—including extremely-low-income households—tend to be at greater risk of experiencing homelessness. Addressing homelessness and providing high quality services to the unhoused is also a racial equity issue, and must be part of the City’s efforts to affirmatively further fair housing. By expanding access to quality homelessness services across Oakland, and seeking to expand transitional housing options in a citywide manner, the City will work to avoid an overconcentration in homelessness and homelessness-related services in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Further, by expanding economic opportunities for the unhoused, Oakland will help those currently unhoused access housing opportunities in a variety of Oakland neighborhoods. This goal, and the policies and actions that implement it, will address fair housing issues as they relate to homelessness in Oakland.

POLICY 4.1 EXPANSION OF HOMELESS SERVICES
Action 4.1.1: Expand, improve, and maintain crisis response beds.

Since 2018, the City has expanded its supply of emergency interim housing (community cabins, shelter beds, Safe RV parking) by over 1,000 beds/spaces. This increase is almost entirely funded with one-time funds. The City will use local, county, State, and federal funding to maintain these new resources and to improve the effectiveness of these beds in moving people to permanent housing (for example, by adding rapid rehousing exit resources). In addition, the City will continue to expand the interim housing sites and other forms of housing for people experiencing homelessness in the City. The City will ensure that such housing options include supportive services such as including rapid rehousing assistance, housing navigation, and access to resources via Coordinated Entry. The City will seek to partner with Alameda County to provide mental health and substance use services in interim sites and will partner with mainstream workforce programs to support on site job training programs. The City will coordinate efficient provision of services and resources from private, nonprofit, local, Alameda County, and State organizations
Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
91 Responsible Party: Oakland Human Services Department Potential Funding Source: Measure Q, ESG, State Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Funding, various HUD funding sources, CalAIM (through County) Timeframe: FY 2022-2023 – FY 2024-2025
Objectives: 1. Increase the number of people who are experiencing homelessness in Oakland who are sheltered; and 2. Invest in and improve the quality of interim housing programs so that more people exit to permanent housing and more people exit to permanent housing more quickly.

Action 4.1.2: Expand, improve, and maintain crisis response beds for unsheltered communities of color.

Increasing the number of crisis response beds helps to address the disproportionate rates of unsheltered homelessness among communities of color, especially among African American households. Creating additional facilities in many parts of the city will assist households experiencing homelessness to remain in their communities will reduce the number of African American households who are displaced from Oakland. Track data to ensure that African American households are using emergency crisis response beds and exiting to permanent housing at rates that are proportional to their representation in the homeless population.

Responsible Party: Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator; Oakland Human Services Department
Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Increase and stabilize people while providing opportunities to improve income they need to avoid entering or returning to homelessness.

Action 4.1.3: Expand health and hygiene facilities and services, and improve access to bathrooms and showers.

Starting in FY 20-21, this intervention has greatly expanded to serve a minimum of 60 curbside sites with porta-potties, handwashing stations, and garbage pick-up. HSD has created two new outreach staff positions whose primary role is to support the encampments which have these interventions with maintaining the services as well as maintaining a level of cleanliness and compliance with the Encampment Management Policy. These City staff also support designated site leadership at each encampment site. The site leaders ensure that the porta-potties are used appropriately, and keep the units clean in between the official servicing. City staff provide the site leaders with cleaning supplies and stipends for their work. Per Council directive, the goal is to increase to 100 sites and four City outreach staff.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
92 Responsible Party: Homeless Division, Office of the City Administrator; Oakland Human Services Department
Potential Funding Source: State Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Funding, City General Fund
Timeframe: FY 2022-2023 – FY 2024-2025
Objectives: More people experiencing unsheltered homelessness have access to services which promote health and dignity.

Action 4.1.4: Provide needed support and income to people who have been homeless so they can avoid returning to homelessness.

Recognizing that a lack of access to living wage jobs is a significant driver of homelessness in Oakland, the City will work with the Oakland Unified School District, higher educational institutions, related nonprofit agencies, business and other partners to create low barrier work opportunities for people who are currently unsheltered. These programs will offer support for development of work-related skills, provide services to address employment barriers specifically targeted to the needs of unhoused residents and increase the co-location and collaboration between providers of homeless assistance and employment programs and services. In addition, the City will work to match small business owners who want to address homelessness with job seekers who are homeless or formerly homeless.

Strategies to include:
• Low barrier work opportunities, for people re-entering the workforce • Add employment specialist positions in core homeless services/prevention services programs
• Flexible funding pool to support career track training and employment programs • Benefits advocacy to obtain SSI or other income for which they are eligible Responsible Party: Oakland Human Services Department; Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator
Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Reduction in the number of households which return to homelessness in the two years after obtaining housing.

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
93 Action 4.1.5: Provide support for domestic violence shelters.

Recognizing that domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness for women and children, the City will coordinate provision of counseling, case management, healthcare, rapid rehousing assistance, and other wraparound services for survivors of domestic violence within transitional housing programs, emergency shelters, and navigation centers.

The City will work with housing and service providers to seek additional grant funding to support survivors of domestic violence. The City will continue to publicize health and wellness resources on its website and will ensure that this information remains up-to-date.

Responsible Agency: Oakland Human Services Department; Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator, Department of Violence Prevention Potential Funding Source: To be determined
Timeline: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objective: The City will significantly increase supportive services (and their publicization) for domestic violence survivors to match need.

POLICY 4.2 ENCAMPMENT MANAGEMENT
Action 4.2.1: Enhance operations of the City’s 2020 Encampment Management Policy.

The City of Oakland adopted the 2020 Encampment Management Policy. The purpose of this policy is to protect and serve all Oaklanders, sheltered and unsheltered, and to manage the adverse impacts of homeless encampments by balancing the interests of all residents, focusing encampments actions on mitigating negative outcomes as they pertain to public safety, public health, and equity outcomes.

Responsible Party: Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Timeframe: 2023-2031
Objectives: The Encampment Management Policy is essential to connecting unsheltered individuals to human services, emergency shelter and long term permanent supportive housing, while executing comprehensive operations focused on managing health and safety conditions of public spaces. The goal is to close areas where encampments are not permitted, provide regular and adequate trash collection from encampments, to ensure that porta-potties and hand-washing stations are services regularly as needed, and that encampments receive regular deep cleanings that ensure that our unhoused residents are not living in conditions that threaten health and/or safety until fully abated.

The policy sets forth the following objectives:

Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
94 1. Designate high-sensitivity areas, where unmanaged encampments are presumed to cause unreasonably high levels of health and safety impacts due to the nature of the location;

2. Designate low-sensitivity areas, where enforcement will not be prioritized;

3. Make findings that will prompt Encampment Management Team intervention; and

4. Provide guidance on addressing unreasonable health and safety risks, promoting voluntary compliance, and strategies to address non-compliance.

Action 4.2.2: Lead strategic homelessness response operations and homeless services from the Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator.

Homelessness intersects with multiple departments and agencies, all of which fall under the City Administrator’s purview. Leading from the Office of the City Administrator, the Homelessness Division serves as the primary liaison between the City Administrator’s Office and internal and external agencies, along with other City departments, regarding the City’s homelessness response and provides inter- and intra-agency coordination focusing on the City’s management of its unsheltered population. This division directs the program and operational decision-making in division activities; encampment management response teams and task forces; organizes, manages, and directs the review and implementation of the City’s major projects.

Responsible Party: Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Timeframe: 2023—2031
Objectives: Lead the implementation, expansion, and strategic coordination of Homeless Response Operations and Service Delivery across City of Oakland departments, and external public and private partners, organizations, and agencies.

Action 4.2.3: Strengthen interdepartmental Encampment Management Team.

The Encampment Management Team (EMT) is an interdepartmental working group tasked with implementing and administering this policy, consisting of representatives from Oakland’s Public Works Department, Human Services Department, Oakland Policy Department, Oakland Fire Department, the City Administrator’s Office (CAO), and other consulted departments as necessary (e.g., the Mayor’s Office, the City Attorney’s Office, Parks and Recreation). The EMT is facilitated by the CAO via the Homelessness Administrator.

Responsible Party: Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
95 Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: 1. The EMT aims to execute duties assigned to their respective departments for the completion of interventions (Health and Safety) prescribed in the 2020 Encampment Management Policy (Health and Hygiene, Deep Cleanings, Partial Closure, and Closure); 2. To channel unsheltered individuals in every encampment to human services, emergency shelter and long term permanent supportive housing; 3. To effectuate the completion of the Encampment Management Policy interventions, each department may promulgate additional specific procedures necessary to effectuate the roles described in this policy under development specific Standard Operating Procedures.

Action 4.2.4: Increase the oversight of homelessness strategies, investments, outcomes, and encampment operations with the Homelessness Advisory Commission.

The City will increase opportunities for leadership and input from people experiencing homelessness in the design, implementation, and evaluation of encampment management and services that respond to unsheltered homelessness. The City will also seek to build trust between law enforcement, social workers, and homeless individuals/families and promote mentorship opportunities for formerly homeless individuals and people recovering from addiction. Further, the City will refine encampment management policies and strategies using qualitative and quantitative data to assess the experience of encampment for BIPOC residents and will implement culturally-specific and anti-racist strategies to better meet the short-term needs of BIPOC unsheltered residents.

Responsible Party: Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator Potential Funding Source: Local, State, and federal funding, as available Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031
Objectives: Review and make recommendations of existing and new proposals funding homelessness services funded by City of Oakland Measures Q and W.

Action 4.2.5: Expand co-governance and partnerships with unsheltered residents in the design and delivery of homelessness services.

In FY 21-22 the City opened its first co-governed program site. Co-governance is an intervention model where unsheltered residents come to an agreement about how they will live together in a community setting of an encampment. This includes, but is not limited to, selecting site leadership, determining eligibility for participation, developing community expectations for behaviors and for staffing/running the site, holding each other accountable for the agreed upon expectations, and maintaining the health and safety of the community residents. A backbone agency (nonprofit/community-based agency) works alongside residents to support the residents in the design, leadership and operations of the site. The backbone agency is the contracting entity with the City/funder and holds ultimate Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
96 accountability for ensuring the safety and security of the site. The City, in partnership with unsheltered residents will continue to refine this model and to expand this model as new sites open.

Responsible Party: Oakland Human Services Department; Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator
Potential Funding Source: Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention funds, City General Fund
Timeframe: FY 2022-2023 – FY 2024-2025
Objectives: Increase the number of interim housing sites which have people experiencing homelessness as partners in site design and operations.

POLICY 4.3 PROMOTE TRANSITIONAL AND PERMANENT SUPPORTIVE, DEEPLY

AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR UNHOUSED COMMUNITIES
Action 4.3.1: Finance the construction and maintenance of permanent supportive and deeply affordable housing for homeless households to expand the supply of deeply affordable and supportive housing for Oakland’s most vulnerable residents.

The City will secure and advocate for additional funding for building and operation of permanent supportive and deeply affordable housing for homeless households using a combination of State and federal sources, such as the State Homekey program, the federal HOME-ARP program, and funding from the local Oakland Housing Authority. The City will continue incorporating a preference for City-assisted affordable housing projects that include at least 20 percent of units for vulnerable populations, including but not limited to homeless individuals and families living at or below 20 percent of AMI; as well, the City will increase this homeless set-aside in future NOFAs should operating funding resource availability support the increase. The City will work with residents, service providers, and property owners to ensure adequate and transparent long-term plans for maintenance and service provision within new and existing permanent supportive housing. The City will also pursue the strategic acquisition of hotel, motel, and dorm facilities by and with nonprofit partners to house unsheltered residents. The City will further work to coordinate Oakland Housing Authority’s award process with the City's Affordable Housing NOFA process and Homekey opportunities. The City will also work with the State and other partners to explore opportunities to expand the supply of extremely-low-income housing for residents that do not require supportive services.

Responsible Party: Oakland Human Services Department; Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development; Homelessness Division, Office of the City Administrator
Potential Funding Source: State Homeless Housing Assistance and Prevention Funds Timeframe: Ongoing, 2023-2031, as funding is available
Objectives: Secure funding to significantly increase construction and maintenance of permanent supportive and deeply affordable housing to match need for unhoused Chapter 4: Housing Action Plan
97 communities.

Action 4.3.2: Streamline approval for modular developments to provide quality shelter quickly to address the scale of the crisis.

Oakland City CouncilJanuary 31, 2023

Oakland City Council
January 31, 2023