City Council
July 1, 2025
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson, FROM: Joe DeVries
City Administrator Deputy City Administrator
SUBJECT: License of 615 High Street to
Trybe, Inc.
DATE: June 9, 2025
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt:
An Ordinance (1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Enter Into A License Agreement With The Non-Profit Trybe, Inc. For The Storage Of Emergency Food And Supplies And For Compatible Community Services On City-Owned Property At 615 High Street For A License Fee Of $0 For A Term Of Two Years With Three One-Year Options To Extend; (2) Making Findings That The Below Market License Fee Is In The City’s Best Interest; And (3) Making California Environmental Quality Act Findings
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The recommended ordinance would authorize the City of Oakland (City) to enter into a no-cost license agreement with the community-based, non-profit organization Trybe, Inc. (Trybe) for use of the City-owned property located at 615 High Street to operate an emergency food and supplies distribution program and related community services. This would allow Trybe to relocate this existing program from a State Department of Transportation (Caltrans) property located underneath Interstate 880 at 6th and Madison, which is being closed to accommodate Caltrans’ I-880 Oakland-Alameda Access Project.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
Trybe is a community-based, non-profit organization rooted in East Oakland and dedicated to serving young people and their families. Trybe has been operating a community feeding program at the Caltrans Property, including placement of multiple storage containers to be used for storage of program-related property and non-perishable food, parking of program-related forklifts, pallet jacks, and program related transport truck and staff/volunteer vehicle parking (Trybe Program).
Jestin Johnson (Jun 13, 2025 18:14 PDT)
Jun 13, 2025
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: License of 615 High Street to Trybe, Inc.
Date: June 9, 2025 Page 2
City Council
July 1, 2025
The City entered into a lease (Airspace Lease) with Caltrans dated October 1, 2021, for use of airspace underneath Interstate 880 between Madison, Jackson, 5th and 6th Streets in Oakland (Prior Premises). Trybe entered into a corresponding license agreement with the City dated October 25, 2021, for use of the Prior Premises for the Trybe Program.
Caltrans has informed the City and Trybe that it will need to terminate the Airspace Lease to commence the I-880 Oakland-Alameda Access Project, which is a State roadway construction project that proposes to improve connectivity between I-880, I-980, and the cities of Oakland and Alameda.
The City owns the real property located at 615 High Street in Oakland. The City entered into a non-exclusive license agreement (Container License) with Oakland Container Services, LLC, dated May 24, 2024, for the parking and storage of trucks and trailers on the Property. The City provided notice to this tenant on June 6, 2025, of its intent to terminate the Container License effective July 6, 2025.
Staff recommends that the City enter into a non-exclusive license for use of the Property to Trybe so that Trybe may relocate and operate the Trybe Program and compatible community- serving programs on the Property for a term of two years, with three one-year extension options at a no-cost monthly license fee of $0.
Oakland Municipal Code (OMC) section 2.42.110 authorizes the City to enter into a lease or license of real property for consideration less than the property's fair market value if the City Council makes a finding and determination that the lease of the property for less than its fair market value is in the best interest of the City.
OMC 2.42.110 provides that the City Council may consider the value of in-kind services to the City or the community at large in making the required finding and determination.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The recommended ordinance would allow for continuity in Trybe’s provision of emergency food and supplies distribution to Oaklanders in need. Without an alternative location, the Trybe Program could cease later this year.
The proposed ordinance would also ensure ongoing productive use of the City-owned Property, which is located in an area that has historically been subject to illegal encampment, dumping, violence and related illegal activity. Absent an ongoing use, the City is likely to incur substantial costs related to securing and maintaining the Property.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: License of 615 High Street to Trybe, Inc.
Date: June 9, 2025 Page 3
City Council
July 1, 2025
Licensing the Property to Trybe at no cost would be in the best interest of the City as it would prevent the City from incurring these security and maintenance expenses, and because it would allow for Trybe to continue to provide essential food, supplies, and other supports to vulnerable Oakland communities.
Approval of the recommended action would advance the Citywide priority of housing, economic, and cultural security by stabilizing an at-risk City-owned property and ensuring continuity of critical community services.
FISCAL IMPACT
The recommended ordinance has a negligible financial impact on the City. It would not create any new costs to the City, aside from the cost of City staff time related to preparing and executing the license agreement. It would also not result in any new revenues.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
The recommended ordinance will be considered at public meetings of the Community & Economic Development Committee and the full City Council and will be publicly noticed consistent with standard City Council public noticing provisions.
COORDINATION
The City Administrator’s Office coordinated with the Department of Economic and Workforce Development’s Real Estate Division and the City Attorney’s Office on this ordinance.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: The recommended ordinance would help to stabilize an area that has been historically impacted by illegal encampment, dumping, violence, and related illegal activity that has harmed neighboring businesses, including an adjoining car wash and the nearby Home Depot.
Environmental: The recommended ordinance would help to prevent dumping and associated environmental harms from returning to the Property. It would otherwise have minimum environmental impacts as it would simply relocate an existing land use.
Race & Equity: The Trybe Program provides emergency food and supplies to some of Oakland’s most marginalized, vulnerable populations, which are disproportionately comprised of Black, Asian, Hispanic, and other racial and ethnic minority groups.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: License of 615 High Street to Trybe, Inc.
Date: June 9, 2025 Page 4
City Council
July 1, 2025
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The recommended license agreement would not result in a significant impact under the California Environmental Quality Act pursuant to CEQA guidelines sections 15061(b)(3) and 15301, since it provides for ongoing use of existing vacant land within the City.
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt:
An Ordinance (1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Enter Into A License Agreement With The Non-Profit Trybe, Inc. For The Storage Of Emergency Food And Supplies And For Compatible Community Services On City-Owned Property At 615 High Street For A License Fee Of $0 For A Term Of Two Years With Three One-Year Options To Extend; (2) Making Findings That The Below Market License Fee Is In The City’s Best Interest; And (3) Making California Environmental Quality Act Findings
For questions regarding this report, please contact Joe DeVries, Deputy City Administrator, at [email protected] or (510) 238-3083.
Respectfully submitted,
_______________________
Joe DeVries,
Deputy City Administrator
Prepared by:
Brendan Moriarty
Director of Real Estate & Special Projects