Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Jestin D. Johnson FROM: William Gilchrist
City Administrator Director, Planning &
Building Department
SUBJECT: General Plan Update Phase 2:
Oakland for All: Options for How We
Stabilize and Grow Report (Options
Report)
DATE: September 29, 2025
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Conduct A Study Session To (1) Receive An Informational Presentation and Report On The Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Developed As Part Of The General Plan Update Phase 2 Process; And (2) Receive Public Comments; And (3) Provide Feedback To Staff On The Options.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In Fall 2021, the City of Oakland (City) kicked off a two -phased process to update the General Plan, a visionary blueprint for the City’s future over the next 20 years following standards of content and updating by the State of California. With this 2045 General Plan Update (GPU), the City’s goal is to advance its commitment to creating a “fair and just” city (Oakland Municipal Code Section 2.29.170.1) and undo past harms and inequity through more robust and equitable goals, policies, and actions related to the City’s physical development.
Phase 1 of the GPU, which concluded in 2023, included an update to the Housing Element (Resolution No. 89565 C.M.S.), adopted on January 31, 2023, along with an update to the Safety Element and creation of a new Environmental Justice (EJ) Element ( Resolution No. 89907 C.M.S.), both of which were adop ted on September 26, 2023.
Phase 2 of the GPU will include updates to the City’s Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE); Estuary Policy Plan (the Land Use Element for much of the land between Interstate 880 and the Oakland Estuary); the Noise Element, and the Open Space, Conservation, and Recreation (OSCAR) Element, as well as the creation of a new Infrastructure and Capital Facilities Element. A R acial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) and a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review will be completed.
Jestin Johnson (Oct 16, 2025 16:27:49 PDT)
Oct 16, 2025
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 2
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
On July 30, 2025, the City published Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow (Options Report) to illustrate different themes to guide the development of the GPU Phase 2 elements and begin developing a clearer picture of the needs of Oaklanders and their vision for the city based on their responses to these thematic options. The Options Report is accompanied by a survey for the public’s immediate response from July 30 through September 24, 2025.
The Options Report presents three big- picture scenarios or ‘Options’ that reflect fundamental organizing approaches for how Oakland can leverage its inherent characteristics and community aspirations both to stabilize (invest in the well- being of current residents and prevent displacement) and grow (plan for new homes, jobs, and parks ; and for improvements in transportation) over the next 20 years. The Options that explore three organizational themes are characterized as:
• “ City of Neighborhoods” (Option A)
• “ Connected Corridors and Gateways” (Option B)
• “ Midtown Waterfront District” (Option C)
Each of these options start with a “baseline” of shared growth and improvements. While each scenario presents different approaches from its baseline in meeting Oakland’s needs, the recommendations for each option are neither exclusive nor limited to that option. In fact, the intention of the survey is to allow reviewers to “pick and choose” from across all options and share their thoughts on how features from any of them might combine to create even more suitable and robust development opportunities through the General Plan.
The goal of creating these three scenario Options is to reflect community feedback to date to in both Phase 1 and Phase 2 to bridge visioning to implementation. Each O ption represents a thematic collection of different land use, transportation, parks, open space, and economic growth ideas that when combined would accommodate projected growth while responding to community needs already documented in Phase 1 of the GPU process as well as current work in Phase 2 .
As noted, t he ideas highlighted across the three Options can be mixed and matched to create alternative strategies to guide, community development and investment in the City. Through a rigorous outreach and engagement process, the City is collecting feedback from a diverse set of stakeholders and the public about each Option and how their preferred features may combine to achieve our communities’ aspirations.
Based on feedback gathered through the public review process and the REIA, a set of refined land use, transportation, parks, and open space concepts will be developed into a recommendation that is in alignment with growth projections and community visions for Oakland’s future. This “Draft Land Use Framework” will serve as the guiding framework for the policies and actions that will form the updated LUTE, OSCAR, and Noise Elements, and creation of the new Infrastructure and Capital Facilities Element . After a public review process, s taff anticipate s presenting the Draft Land Use Framework Plan for Planning Commission and City Council ’s feedback and recommendation in early 2026.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 3
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
California Law requires that every city and county adopt a General Plan. A General Plan serves as each jurisdiction’s official policy document guiding future growth and development. Per state law, specific topics, also called “Elements,” must be covered in a city’s general plan.
Required General Plan topics include:
• Land Use
• Circulation
• Housing
• Conservation
• Open Space
• Noise
• Safety
• Environmental Justice
State law allows a jurisdiction to include any other topical elements in its General Plan that it sees fit.
Oakland’s two-phase GPU process builds upon past and ongoing city plans, initiatives, studies, and projects in terms of lessons learned and data collected. This process began by undertaking a full acknowledgement of the systemic racial inequities that have shaped the City through the development of two baseline reports – the Map Atlas and the Environmental Justice and Racial
Equity Baseline ( Equity Baseline). These reports serve as a foundation for understanding opportunities and constraints for instilling more equitable patterns of land use, transportation, community resources, industrial activity, and open spaces, among others, into city pl anning practices. They also identify the health and wealth disparities by race and geography existing in Oakland today. In addition, the work completed in GPU Phase 1, including community engagement, a racial equity impact assessment framework, and policy direction from adopted elements, City-led specific plans, City initiatives to address climate change and sea level rise and regional transportation efforts such as Link 21 and Vision 980 inform and provide the foundation for GPU Phase 2. A full account of the planning context, including background reports and surveys that have informed this process can be found in this link:
Planning Context.
Phase 1 of the GPU, which concluded in 2023, included the 2023- 2031 Housing Element (Resolution No. 89565 C.M.S.
) adopted on January 31, 2023 and the Safety Element and a new EJ Element ( Resolution No. 89907 C.M.S. ) adopted on September 26, 2023. The City also adopted associated conforming amendments to the General Plan, the Planning Code, and zoning maps in October 2023 (Ordinance No. 13763 C.M.S). A Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) analyzed each of the Phase 1 General Plan Element updates to support the development of equitable policies that are concrete, data-driven, outcome-oriented, and problem-solving. As part of California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, the City prepared an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to address the City’s updates to its Safety Element and adoption of a new EJ Element, the proposed Planning Code, Zoning Map, Height Map, and General Plan text and map amendments, including several Housing Element Implementation (HEI) actions contained in the 2023-2031 Housing Element.
Reports presented to the Planning Commission on May 18, 2022, and to the Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee on February 22, 2022, and May 24, 2022, provided detailed information on the City’s GPU process including key background information provided Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 4
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
in the Map Atlas, Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Baseline, EJ Screening Analysis to identify potential EJ Communities, and community engagement and outreach.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The Oakland 2045 GPU advances the following Citywide priorities:
1) Holistic Community Safety: the new EJ Element and updated Safety Element developed in Phase 1 of the GPU integrated environmental justice considerations (detailed in the Environmental Justice and Racial Equity Baseline) into policies and actions designed to address historic disenfranchisement of and disinvestment in EJ communities and to prepare for the impacts of natural and human-made disasters and climate stressors. In GPU Phase 2, environmental justice considerations will be integrated into policies relating to land use, transportation, parks and open space, and capital facilities to advance safe and equitable access to amenities, transit, and everyday resources for all Oaklanders.
2) Housing, Economic, and Cultural Security: the 2023-2031 Housing Element Update and associated zoning code amendments identify sites and areas in the City that demonstrate the capability of being developed with affordable housing and will identify strategies and measurable outcomes to “Protect, Preserve, and Produce” affordable homes. Policies developed as part of Phase 2 of the GPU will strive to minimize displacement while creating new opportunities for housing, economic growth, and celebrations of Oakland’s culture.
3) Vibrant, Sustainable Infrastructure: an updated LUTE and OSCAR Element in Phase 2 of the GPU will help to develop and sustain a vibrant economy in Oakland that generates opportunity for all. Phase 2 of the GPU will also include a new General Plan Infrastructure and Facilities Element that will help create a long-term plan for necessary capital improvement investments for the city that will support the overall local economy.
4) Responsive, Trustworthy Government: The GPU process will promote meaningful civil engagement in public decision-making processes and identify objectives and policies that address the most pressing needs in the community, particularly where social and racial inequity is most prevalent.
An overview of the community engagement process as well as a summary of the Options follows.
1. Community Engagement and Feedback
The GPU process is guided by a comprehensive, collaborative, accessible, inclusive, and equity-driven public engagement approach that focuses on engaging communities historically underrepresented and excluded from traditional planning processes—which are often the most negatively impacted by City policies—while also being inclusive of the City as a whole.
Outreach for the GPU to date has included over 90 community meetings, town halls, neighborhood workshops, focused discussion groups, stakeholder interviews, and pop-up outreach events conducted across Oakland, as well as three Citywide online surveys. For GPU Phase 2, the City continues to pursue multiple avenues for engagement, aligning with the goals Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 5
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
and principles stated in the GPU Vision and Guiding Principles and the Phase 2 Community Engagement Plan. The themes guiding GPU Phase 2 outreach are drawn f rom priorities shared by residents through feedback gathered during Phase 1 and initial outreach from Phase 2 completed in late 2024. These themes are:
1. Complete, walkable neighborhoods
2. Clean streets and responsive services
3. Safe transportation for all modes (walking, bicycling, public transit, driving, etc.)
4. Housing for all
5. Equitable parks access
6. Inclusive economic growth
7. Cleaner industrial lands
8. Safety and climate resiliency
9. Special areas and corridors
To reach and engage a diverse cross-section of City residents, stakeholders, and regional partners, City staff established the General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC) to help advise City staff on the GPU update. The GPAC is made up of three subgroups, the Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TAS), the Community Advisory Subcommittee (CAS), and Ex-Officio Members.
The TAS consists of regional and local agencies, such as BART and Alameda County Department of Public Health. The CAS consists of Oakland residents selected through an application process. Members of the CAS reflect the diversity of Oaklanders’ identities and experiences, with a focus on underrepresented perspectives. The Ex-Officio Members of the GPAC include representatives from City boards and commissions and representatives of neighboring jurisdictions with land use authority. Based on the feedback from participants in the GPU Phase 1 Equity Working Group (EWG), the GPAC was restructured for GPU Phase 2 to provide more opportunities for collaboration and conversation between members of the TAS, CAS, and the Ex-Officio Members.
The City is also reaching historically underrepresented communities through ongoing collaboration with the Deeply Rooted Collaborative. The Deeply Rooted Collaborative is a partnership of community-based organizations with deep ties with the community and years of experience supporting Oakland’s low-income communities of color. The Deeply Rooted Collaborative is serving as community engagement consultant for Phase 2 of the GPU process, continuing work begun in Phase 1. Organizations in the Deeply Rooted Collaborative include Urban Strategies Council (USC), Eastside Arts Alliance (ESAA), Black Cultural Zone (BCZ), Oakland Asian Cultural Center (OACC), Malonga Arts Residents Association (MARA), Black Arts Movement Business District, CDC, The Unity Council, Deep Waters Dance Theater, and West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP).
In addition to the focused outreach strategies described above, the City is committed to creating engagement opportunities that reach all Oaklanders. Through town halls, pop-ups at community events, a multifaceted advertisement strategy that includes ad placements on AC Transit buses, video streaming platforms, and digital kiosks, and surveys, the City is getting the word out to the larger Oakland community about the GPU process and inviting widespread engagement. A list Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 6
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
of planned community engagement activities can be found on the City’s Phase 2 Community Engagement webpage. The list of engagement activities included on the webpage will be updated regularly as new events are planned.
2. Overview of Options
The Options Report presents three big -picture ideas or ‘Options’ for how Oakland can both stabilize (invest in the well-being of current residents and prevent displacement) and grow (plan for new homes, jobs, parks, and transportation) for the next 20 years. The three Options are characterized as:
• Option A: “City of Neighborhoods”
• Option B: “Connected Corridors and Gateways”
• Option C: “Midtown Waterfront District”
The Options Report is grounded in insights and feedback from community members since the start of the GPU process, including the Visioning Statement and Guiding Principles; technical, economic, and environmental analyses; and policies and actions identified in the 2023- 2031 Housing Element, Safety Element, EJ Element and other plans such as the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan. A survey designed to gather initial feedback on many of the topics central to GPU Phase 2 to ran from September 26, 2024 to October 31, 2024. The survey was comprised of eight multiple choice, ranking, and open-ended text questions; five mapping questions related to land use, mobility, and parks; and eight voluntary demographic questions. Analysis of participation in this survey and the insights gleaned from it are detailed in the Phase 2 Citywide Survey Report.
The goal of creating these three growth and stabilization scenarios is to reflect community feedback received thus far in a way that moves the conversation from broad visioning to concrete ideas. Each Option represents a collection of land use, transportation, parks , open space, and economic growth ideas that together would accommodate projected growth while responding to community needs, including those documented in Phase 1 of the GPU process and from survey results from the beginning of Phase 2. The ideas highlighted in the three Options can be mixed and matched to create alternative strategies to guide investment and development in the City.
Based on feedback gathered through the public review process, a growth and stabilization scenario reflecting a more refined and developed set of land use, transportation, parks, and open space ideas will be developed that is in alignment with both growth projections and community visions for Oakland’s future. This “Preferred Plan” will serve as the guiding framework for the policies and actions that will form the LUTE, OSCAR, Noise, and Infrastructure and Capital Facilities Elements.
The following sections in this report will first provide an overview of the baseline of planned changes and policy actions, followed by a discussion of the three high-level Options presented in the report.
Baseline for All Options
Each of the three options start with a “baseline” of shared growth and improvements that reflect implementation of actions in current adopted plans as well as completion of current pipeline Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 7
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
development and capital improvement projects. The baseline does not represent an Option, because it does not generate sufficient development to meet Oakland’s jobs and housing projections. The various Options would be in addition to the baseline in order to meet the development projections.
It is critical to note that the theme for each option is also considered an essential component in the other two. For example, neighborhoods are recognized as the essential “building block” across the city and across all options. The strategies across each option show different implementation measures where corresponding outcomes are projected for each.
As shown in Figure 1, some of the shared features among all three Options include:
• Land Use: Promote addition of new housing and jobs throughout the city, especially Downtown, near the Coliseum, and along major transit corridors and BART stations, consistent with pipeline projects, the Housing Element, and the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan. Explore different ways of distributing more equitably amenities and investment (like infrastructure, tree planting, and other projects) throughout the city. • Transportation: Improve walking, biking, and transit connections across the city, consistent with AC Transit’s 2016 Major Corridors Study (2016), OakDOT’s 2020 Transit Action Strategy, and the Alameda County Transportation Commission (ACTC) Comprehensive Investment Plan, among others.
• Parks and Open Space: Create new waterfront trail connections along the Central Estuary shoreline and the San Leandro Creek south of I-880 and align with the shoreline adaptation policies and projects to be identified by the Oakland Alameda Adaptation Plan, Oakland’s Sub-Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan, and the Port of Oakland. The GPU will also focus on increasing the urban tree canopy, maintenance of existing natural features, park safety and park restoration.
• Research and Development (R&D): Create new employment districts for research and development jobs, which are broadly defined to include technology, life sciences, the green economy, and advanced manufacturing.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Figure 1: Features Included in All Options
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
From this baseline, the three Options organized around distinct themes were developed based on feedback heard from community members. Each Option adds additional density and improvements to the baseline starting point to create a different comprehensive vision for the City that meets projected growth demands.
Option A: City of Neighborhoods
Through the community outreach process, Oaklanders have shared that they would like more walkable neighborhoods and easy access to everyday amenities. Option A: “City of Neighborhoods”, shown in Figure 2, responds to this feedback by proposing 18 neighborhood centers – walkable, mixed-use hubs that are designed to bring housing, services, shopping, transit access, and community life together in key locations—either existing centers of mixed-use activity or areas that currently lack walkable access to amenities-- across the City. The proposed centers presented in this Option were selected based on analysis of existing uses and amenities.
Neighborhood centers are envisioned as compact, vibrant places where people can live, shop, eat, and gather all within a short walk from home. While each center would have a unique local character and identity, key amenities include:
• Grocery stores, cafes, restaurants, and neighborhood services like banks, pharmacies, and cultural spaces
• A mix of multi-family housing, commercial, office, and community-service uses • Access to public transit
• Parks, green space, plazas, shaded seating, and gathering areas • Safe bike lanes and pedestrian paths connecting to surrounding neighborhoods
Option A seeks to strengthen Oakland’s existing assets and fill in gaps in access to everyday amenities and safe transportation infrastructure w ithin close proximity to housing. Of the 18 proposed neighborhood centers, nine are enhanced centers, based around existing commercial centers and main streets —such as Temescal and the Laurel District —where new housing and infrastructure will bring additional foot traffic and a local customer base that can support businesses and transit ridership. The ot her nine are new centers , located in residential neighborhoods that currently lack walkable access to amenities, including North Oakland, Clawson/Dogtown, Prescott, Cleveland Heights, San Antonio, Castlemont, Lockwood/Coliseum/Rudsdale, and Elmhurst – areas of Oakland that have not historically seen much market-based investment. In both cases, the goal is to make it easier for all residents to access healthy food, services, and transportation, while reinforcing Oakland’s unique neighborhood identities.
The scale of new development could range from the heights and densities of buildings in present- day Fruitvale Village, which has a mix of single- family and small multifamily buildings, to the denser and taller buildings around Broadway -Valdez, depending on the context of surrounding neighborhoods, with taller and denser new development encouraged in more urban parts of the city. In all neighborhood centers, the highest densities, characterized by taller buildings and/or smaller lots would be located around central gathering places like a park or commercial/civic area and would transition into lower density neighborhoods with lower building heights and/or larger lots.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 10
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
In addition, Option A proposes three new R&D districts, ranging in size from about 30 to 90 acres. R&D districts are campus-sized areas that would limit new development to only uses that support R&D-related activities (i.e., technology, life sciences, the green economy, and advanced manufacturing). Option A locates new R&D areas in upper West Oakland near the Emeryville border, north Jack London (above Howard Terminal), and at the Port’s Airport Business Park (north of San Leandro Creek, across from the Martin Luther King Jr. Regional Shoreline).
By distributing new development around the City, this Option is meant to foster equitable investment and distribution of opportunities and benefits, as well as to reduce the burden of change that is placed on any one area. Policies related to phasing of implementation would guide the development of neighborhood centers so any intensification would be accompanied by the infrastructure needed to accommodate it.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 11
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Impact
Charts 1 and 2 illustrate the geographic spread of housing and jobs by Zip Code and Priority Development Area (PDA).
Chart 1: New Jobs and Housing by Zip Code (Option A)
Chart 2: New Jobs and Housing by Priority Development Area (PDA) (Option A)
Option A buildout, or the growth expected to result from changes to land use, is expected to result in an estimated 83,490 new housing units and 109,110 new jobs over the next 20 years. These estimates include the baseline growth that is expected to occur across all three Options.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Figure 2: Option A Concept Diagram
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Option B: Connected Corridors and Gateways
Oaklanders have expressed strong support for transit-oriented development that increases housing density along major streets served by transit. Building on this idea, Option B: “Connected Corridors and Gateways ”, shown in Figure 3, proposes that a significant amount of Oakland’s residential and employment growth in addition to growth shared in all Options take place in focused areas along the City’s main transportation streets, or corridors, where redevelopment potential is highest. This Option builds on recent City and regional planning initiatives, such as the City’s corridor and transit zones and the Broadway/Valdez Specific Plan, that have shaped redevelopment and intensification of some of Oakland’s major transportation corridors over the past decade. While all three Options anticipate development along some of the City’s major thoroughfares (Broadway, College Avenue, Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and International Boulevard), Option B extends the concept to propose growth along additional thoroughfares east of Lake Merritt —Park Boulevard, 14th Avenue, 35th Avenue, Frui tvale Avenue, High Street, Foothill Boulevard/ Macarthur Boulevard, Bancroft Avenue, 73rd Avenue, and 98th Avenue—as well as Adeline Street in West Oakland.
Corridor development presents an opportunity for Oakland to continue to expand and meet growing employment and residential demand in a relatively concentrated manner. Surrounding neighborhoods would not see additional growth beyond the gradual intensification identified in the baseline of what is included in all Options. The corridors themselves would have an urban character similar to present -day Broadway, with tall er buildings, a mix of residential and commercial uses, and ground floor amenities such as r etail and public spaces. Major junctions where multiple corridors intersect would be reinforced as “gateway” destinations , oriented around new parks and plazas, that serve as meeting points and anchors for travelers making their way throughout the city. A key assumption of Option B is that higher density along these corridors would support more frequent transit service (10-minute headways) due to a higher population
of potential riders who would live, work, shop, and socialize in the new homes, businesses, and public spaces that would be built. The Option B development strategy will integrate policies and programs to improve safety and accessibility for pedestrians and bicyclists along the corridors.
New homes and businesses along the corridors would be developed through reuse and redevelopment of aging commercial and industrial properties that front the actual corridors, though in some areas (such as at the intersection of two corridors), growth may occur in adjacent surrounding blocks as well.
Option B proposes two new R&D centers, ranging in size from about 30 to 130 acres, including a smaller center in upper West Oakland near the Emeryville border, and a much larger hub at the Port’s Airport Business Park (spanning the entirety of the shoreline area northwest of Hegenberger Road between I-880 and the Oakland Airport, excluding the Martin Luther King Jr.
Regional Shoreline).
By concentrating new development and associated public realm improvements along the corridors, this Option is meant to strengthen Oakland’s overall Citywide transportation system into an intuitive network of memorable thoroughfares that are pleasant to spend time on and safe and convenient for all modes of travel.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Figure 3: Option B Concept Diagram
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Impact
Charts 3 and 4 illustrate the geographic spread of housing and jobs by Zip Code and Priority Development Area (PDA).
Chart 3: New Jobs and Housing by Zip Code (Option B)
Chart 4: New Jobs and Housing by PDA (Option B)
Option B buildout is expected to result in 82,090 new housing units and 115,390 new jobs over the next 20 years. These estimates include baseline growth that is assumed to occur across all three Options.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 16
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Option C: Midtown Waterfront District
About 20 percent of the City’s land area, including most of Oakland’s shoreline, has historically been used for industrial purposes. An important theme that emerged from environmental justice working group conversations in Phase 1 was the need to envision a cleaner and greener future for many of these areas. Many of Oakland’s industrial properties have undergone minimal reinvestment over time and are currently dominated by uses with relatively low job densities (meaning that they hold a disproportionately small share of the City’s overall jobs rel ative to the amount of land they use). Densifying these areas with cleaner uses while protecting heavier industrial uses in places where they are more appropriate could support local job growth, reduce pollution, and provide opportunities to increase public access to the shoreline.
Option C: Midtown Waterfront District, shown in Figure 4, responds to these considerations by proposing a major transformation of the land area stretching between Foothill Blvd and the Central Estuary shoreline from 14th Avenue to High Street. This new area, tentatively called “Midtown,” would evolve into a new neighborhood about the same size as Downtown. A possible variation on this would be to extend the new Midtown center all the way to connect with Downtown along E. 12
th Street, International Boulevard, and the shoreline. It would bring investment further east, build on the energy of nearby Fruitvale Village, and take full advantage of Oakland’s waterfront by transforming it into an accessible place where people can live, work, and spend time outdoors.
Parks, paths, and public spaces along the shoreline would offer new places for the community to gather. Next to the Midtown, a large (100 acre) new waterfront R&D center, spanning the South Estuary from 42nd Avenue to the Coliseum, would be a major new employment hub.
New homes, businesses and large parks/open spaces would be developed through reuse of aging commercial and industrial properties. New development would be built with the future in mind – new buildings near the water would be designed to handle rising sea l evels and a continuous linear park along the shoreline would use green infrastructure strategies to protect low -lying neighborhoods from coastal flooding while reconnecting nearby neighborhoods with the waterfront.
Improved transit access through a new San Antonio transit hub, which will include shuttles, new bus routes, a potential new BART station in the San Antonio neighborhood, or a combination thereof, could be used to connect the new and existing neighborhoods in the Midtown Waterfront area to the rest of the city.
To prevent potential gentrification and displacement that could otherwise result from changes at the Estuary, Option C would also promote substantial new affordable housing development in the nearby Fruitvale and San Antonio neighborhoods. This idea is rooted in lessons learned from recent development in Fruitvale, where major housing developments have been built at Fruitvale Village and transit improvements around the Fruitvale BART Station have been made, the neighborhood has largely preserved its socioeconomic and cultural characteristics.
Contributing factors include an increased overall housing supply, significant affordable housing developments, and involvement of local community development organizations, all of which have helped to largely keep residents and businesses in place. Policies to protect artists and businesses in Jingletown would also be developed as part of the GPU planning process.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 17
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
A revitalized waterfront would become one of Oakland’s biggest attractions, shaping a new image for the City and creating a lively, scenic destination for residents and visitors alike. While Midtown would bring major change to the district, including the Central Estuary, the benefits would reach far beyond. Property and sales taxes from new homes and businesses would help fund community priorities across the City, from cleaner streets to better -maintained parks and public spaces.
Impact
Charts 5 and 6 illustrate the geographic spread of housing and jobs by Zip Code and Priority Development Area (PDA).
Chart 5: New Jobs and Housing by Zip Code (Option C)
Chart 6: New Jobs and Housing by PDA (Option C)
Option C buildout would result in 97,090 new housing units and 120,420 new jobs over the next 20 years. These estimates include the baseline growth that is anticipated to occur across all three Options.
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Figure 4: Option C Concept Diagram
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
3. Comparison of Options
Each of the Options represents slight variations in projected population, jobs, and housing development buildout due to the variations in geography and siting inherent in each Option.
Options Report Chapter 4: Comparison of Options
provides a detailed comparative analysis of
each of the Options, examining how and where growth would occur, as well as the transportation and equity implications of each option compared to the others. This section of the report provides a brief overview of the development potential, transportation, and equity implications of each option.
Development Potential Implications
Individual site characteristics that may incentivize property owners to redevelop, density and intensity assumptions based on previously completed or pipeline projects, and assumptions about nonresidential square footage correlated with jobs projections are all impacted by overarching land use priorities, such as creating neighborhood centers or concentrating new development within a new mixed-use district on the waterfront. Of the Options presented in the Options Report, Option C: Midtown Waterfront District would result in the buildout of the most housing units and jobs. Option A: Neighborhood Centers would pave the way for buildout of slightly more housing units than Option B: Connected Corridors and Gateways. However, Option A buildout would result in slightly fewer jobs than buildout of Option B. A comparative overview of buildout projections for each of the Options are included in Charts 7 and 8 below.
Chart 7: Total Housing Buildout by 2045
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 20
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Chart 8: Total Jobs Buildout by 2045
Projected growth varies from zip code to zip code within each of the Options. Across all Options, the most housing growth is projected in the zip code 94607 (West Oakland and Jack London), followed by zip code 94612 (Downtown). The most job growth would be located in zip code 94621 (Coliseum and Airport), closely followed by zip code 94607 (West Oakland and Jack London) and 94612 (Downtown) in all Options.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 21
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
While each of the Options would result in similar patterns of growth across the City, some notable differences exist, as shown in Charts 9-10 below. These include:
• Option A adds more housing than Option B or Option C in zip code 94603 (Deep East Oakland) and 94621 (Coliseum/Airport), where additional housing is added in new shopping centers near 73rd and 98th avenues.
• Option C adds more housing than Option A or Option B in zip codes 94601(Fruitvale) and 94606 (Eastlake/San Antonio) near the new San Antonio Transit hub, near the estuary, and in higher density development in the Fruitvale area. • Option A adds more jobs than Option B or Option C in zip code 94603 (Deep East Oakland), where a new shopping center is envisioned.
• Option B adds more jobs than Option A or Option C in zip code 94621 (Coliseum/Airport), which includes more mixed-use commercial development along 73rd and 98th avenues, and more non-residential development along Hegenberger in the R&D area. • Option C adds more jobs than Option A or Option B in zip code 94601 (Fruitvale) and 94606 (Eastlake San Antonio) in the Midtown area.
Chart 9: Housing Growth by Zip Code
Chart 10: Jobs Growth by Zip Code
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 22
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Transportation Implications
Increasing access to public transportation and safe walking and biking routes while decreasing reliance on private vehicles is a central focus of the GPU. All Options result in increased access to public transit and safe walking and biking routes. Additionally, all Options result in a reduction in vehicle miles traveled per capita due to the projected higher percentage of trips, known as mode shares, made by transit, biking, and walking, as well as land use patterns that allow for shorter trip distances. Transportation differences between the Options are relatively small, since all Options focus on infill growth around transit nodes and corridors.
Equity Implications
A Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) of the three options presented in the Options Report was conducted using the equity framework established in Phase 1 of the GPU to identify and understand potential benefits and burdens. The equity analysis focuses specifically on how the proposed changes included in the Options would impact nearby EJ communities. For the GPU, EJ communities are defined as the very -low-income communities across Oakland that are most burdened by pollution and socio-economic factors. These communities were identified using the City’s EJ Communities Screen, which defines EJ communities as those census tracts that meet the following requirements:
1. The census tract is among the top 25th percentile of EJ Community Screen’s composite scores (i.e., greater than or equal to 0.75); or
2. The census tract is among the top 10th percentile of any EJ Community Screen category score (i.e., scoring 0.90 or higher for Race/Low Income, Pollution Burden, Climate Change, Sensitive Population, or Built Environment); or
3. The census tract is designated as a Disadvantaged Community pursuant to SB 535 (i.e., greater than or equal to 0.75 on the statewide CalEnviroScreen 4.0 cumulative impact score).
The full process used to identify EJ communities is detailed in the Environmental Justice and
Racial Equity Baseline Report.
The EJ Communities Screening process identified 48 of the City’s 113 census tracts as EJ communities. 12 census tracts had composite scores within the top 10th percentile based on the City’s EJ Communities Screen and are indicated as the most vulnerable EJ communities throughout this staff report and associated General Plan documents (See Figure 5).
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Figure 5: Environmental Justice Communities
Jestin D, Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
The Options Report equity analysis assessed impacts for EJ communities within half a mile of a proposed area of change. The analysis considers ways to avoid unintended negative consequences and highlights ways to increase positive opportunity for each Option. The equity analysis looks at six equity topic areas (Equity Considerations): community resilience, displacement avoidance, transportation, environment, open space and recreation and climate resilience. Each topic area encompasses cross-cutting issues with significant equity implications relevant to all the Options. Table 1 details the Equity Considerations framework.
Table 1: Equity Considerations
Community Resilience Displacement Avoidance Transportation • Community Engagement &
Empowerment
• Accessibility & Quality of
Public Facilities
• Capital Improvement
Programs & Projects
• Food Accessibility &
Affordability
• Community Health &
Wellbeing
• Safe & Sanitary Homes
• Public Safety
• Affordable Housing
Production &
Preservation
• Affordable Housing
in Transit Oriented
Development
• Employment &
Economic
Prosperity
• Active Transportation
Access & Safety
• Public Transit Access
• Multimodal Mobility &
Network Connectivity
• Access for people with
disabilities / paratransit
Environment Open Space & Recreation Resilience
• Pollution Exposure
Reduction
• Compounded Health Risk
Reduction
• Remediation Actions
• Natural Resource
Conservation
• Open Space &
Parks Access
• Park Quality &
Amenities
• Recreational
Opportunities
• Sea-Level Rise
• Urban Tree Canopy
• Sustainable
Development and
Construction
All three growth Options propose development and infrastructure investments in a significant number of EJ Communities, potentially leading to meaningful opportunities in all of the equity topic areas. Opportunities include the potential to reverse historic trends of underinvestment, increase access to greenspace and tree cover, increase the production and preservation of affordable housing, increase access to diverse modes of transit, and improve the public realm. A few aspects of the Options have the potential to increase existing equity gaps. These barriers to equity can hinder the realization of the opportunities in EJ Communities. Barriers include the potential for new development to displace existing communities, provide insufficient access to jobs in areas with high unemployment, increase traffic, and increase exposure to pollution and toxic contaminants. Thoughtful analysis of potential impacts and data-based accountability measures will be necessary to actualize the equity opportunities while minimizing the barriers. Specific policies to advance equity and ensure accountability, as well as a more detailed assessment of equity opportunities and barriers, will be developed as part of the GPU Phase 2 development process.
Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 25
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact from this agenda item, as it is informational only and is intended to solicit guidance from the Community and Economic Development Committee.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
See section on Community Engagement Process and Feedback for detailed information on public outreach conducted by the GPU team. This study session is another opportunity for public outreach.
This meeting was noticed in emails sent to subscribers to the GPU email listserv.
COORDINATION
As with all of the pro ducts developed or updated as part of the GPU process, creation of the report, “Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow”, was a multi-departmental and multi-stakeholder effort. The Planning and Building Department collaborated closely with key City Partners—Office of the City Administrator (Sustainability and Resilience Division), Department of Race and Equity, Office of the City Attorney, Department of Transportation, Economic & Workforce Development Department, Public Works Department, Housing and Community Development Department, Public Library, and Parks, Recreation and Youth Development Department—to develop and refine the inputs that informed the Options and to refine the Options themselves.
This report has been reviewed by the Office of the City Attorney.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic:
The 2045 GPU is focused on planning for land use policies that will accommodate projected housing and job growth and support equitable pathways to jobs for existing Oakland residents, especially for members of historically disadvantaged and disinvested communities. Engagement efforts surrounding the Options Report have included a focus on the location and types of jobs that will be targeted through land use strategies to be implemented through the General Plan as well as strategies for connecting Oaklanders to new employment opportunities. The specific policies that will be used to achieve these goals will be developed during the GPU Phase development process.
Environmental:
The GPU process addresses environmental considerations in multiple ways. Adoption of the EJ Element in Phase 1 of the GPU enshrined integration of EJ considerations into all General Plan elements. The EJ Element established standards for addressing historic disenfranchisement of and disinvestment in EJ communities and preparing for and minimizing the impacts of natural and human-made disasters and climate stressors. Adoption of the Safety Element in Phase 1 of the Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 26
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
GPU established policies that will help preserve Oakland’s environmental quality by minimizing potential damage from safety hazards and disasters, including sea level rise and wildfire risks.
GPU Phase 2 will approach environmental considerations through the lens of land use, transportation, open space and recreation, and infrastructure and capital facilities. Strategies to promote a healthy and safe environment that will be considered through the GPU Phase 2 elements include:
• land use patterns that reduce pollution through a reduction in vehicle miles travelled for everyday goods and services;
• zoning that limits certain types of industrial activities near residential areas to reduce exposure to toxic contaminants;
• increased access to parks and open spaces in EJ communities to provide areas for recreation as well as tree cover that can reduce the heat island effect; • and strategies for improving the City’s network of public facilities that serve as community resources during climate emergencies.
Race & Equity:
The City has an explicit and comprehensive policy of intentionally integrating equity across all its General Plan elements. This approach is fundamental to the City's vision and guiding principles, aiming to create a "fair and just" city that achieves equitable opportunities for all people and communities.
All outputs developed as part of the GPU process are accompanied by a racial equity impact analysis (REIA) to ensure that the risks and negative impacts to the City’s most vulnerable communities are mitigated. Options Report Appendix C: Equity Considerations analyzes the
potential for each of the options to create benefits and burdens for Oakland’s most vulnerable communities. The analysis of benefits and burdens is based on a set of equity considerations developed in GPU Phase 1 and updated to include unique considerations related to the GPU Phase 2 element topic areas. The full list of equity considerations is included in Table 1 of this report. The equity analysis finds that there are benefits and burdens associated with each of the options and discusses strategies for equitably addressing the benefits and burdens identified.
The City’s community engagement strategy also has an explicit focus on advancing equity, addressing patterns of disinvestment, and collaborating with communities often excluded from public planning processes. City staff have co nvened a General Plan Advisory Committee (GPAC), which is made up of three subgroups: the Community Advisory Subcommittee (CAS) , the Technical Advisory Subcommittee (TAS), and Ex -Officio members. CAS members are Oakland residents who were selected through an application process. Members of the CAS reflect the diversity of Oaklanders’ identities and experiences, with a focus on underrepresented perspectives. The GPAC provides opportunities for direct collaboration and conversation between members of the CAS, TAS, and the Ex-Officio Members.
Through an ongoing partnership with the Deeply Rooted Collaborative, which is serving as community engagement consultant for the GPU process, the City is pursuing focused outreach to members of communities that are most burdened by environmental justice inequities to ensure that they are engaged in identifying community needs and assets and providing feedback on proposed solutions. Over 20 engagement activities designed to ensure that residents experiencing socio- economic, environmental, and racial disparities participate in the Options Jestin D. Johnson, City Administrator
Subject: General Plan Update Phase 2: Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report)
Date: September 29, 2025 Page 27
Community and Economic Development Committee
October 28, 2025
Survey were completed between July 30th and -September 24th. Priorities identified through this engagement will inform the development of the Preferred Plan and the policies developed as part of the elements.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT (C EQA)
An Environmental Impact Report will be prepared as part of the GPU in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Conduct A Study Session To (1) Receive An Informational Presentation and Report On The Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow Report (Options Report) Developed As Part Of The General Plan Update Phase 2 Process; And (2) Receive Public Comments; And (3) Provide Feedback To Staff On The Options.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Planner IV, at 510-238- 6751.
Respectfully submitted,
WILLIAM A. GILCHRIST
Director, Planning & Building Department
Reviewed by:
Edward Manasse, Deputy Director,
Bureau of Planning
Laura Kaminski, Strategic Planning Manager
Prepared by:
Bebe LeGardeur, Planner II
Lakshmi Rajagopalan, Planner IV
Strategic Planning Division