General Plan Update (GPU)
Options for How We Stabilize and Grow
Planning and Building Department
Presentation to the Community and Economic Development Committee October 28, 2025
1 General Plan Update Phase 2Agenda
• General Plan Update (GPU) Background
• Overview: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow
• Options Details
• Next Steps
• Discussion
2 What is a General Plan?
3 Establishes citywide vision and
supporting goals, policies, and
implementation measures
"Constitution"
for development
and conservation
Provides consistent direction
for future development
Identifies past
challenges &
accomplishments
Engage our community in the
planning and decision-
making process
Opportunity to Reduce
Racial Inequities & Do
Inclusive Engagement
General Plan Update – Phase 2 Elements
4 2 Phase Approach
▪ Phase 1: November 2021 – Fall 2023, covered Housing, Safety, Environmental Justice – NorCal APA Award for Opportunity and Empowerment and Recognition from State Attorney General’s Office ▪ Phase 2: Fall 2024 – Spring 2027
Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE)
• Address population growth, housing, arts and culture, and jobs
• Outlines what can be built in different places
• Build a transportation system where people can getaround safely and easily
Open Space, Conservation, and Recreation
(OSCAR) Element
• Create equitable, well-maintained, accessible network of parks and rec facilities
• Preserve and enhance connections to open space
Infrastructure andCapital Facilities Element
• Plan for well-maintained, resilient, and high-
quality critical systems, like water and sewage,
electricity, and internet
• Support an equitably distributed and well-maintained
network of public facilities, like libraries, educational facilities, and civic buildings
Noise Element
• Minimize the adverse effects of noise pollution on
public health from sources such as the airport and
industrial activities
Phase 2 Timeline
5 *Community engagement opportunities sharing out of
how input has been incorporated and decisionmaker
meetings will occur at all steps
Initial
Engagement
Build on Phase 1
input and get
thoughts on
Phase 2 issues
and strategies
FALL 2024 SUMMER 2025
Develop
Options
Evaluate
different
conceptual
options and
tradeoffs to
achieving
community
goals
Draft Land Use
Framework
Combine
preferred
options into the
Draft Land Use
Framework
Hearings and
Adoption
Elements go to
decisionmakers
for consideration
Element
Development
Using
community
input, develop
elements for
public review
EARLY 2026 FALL 2026 SPRING 2027
Oakland for All: Options for How We Stabilize and Grow
6 What are the Options?
• High-level concepts for where/how Oakland
might grow => thematic collection of big-
picture ideas to mix and match
• Shows ways land uses (housing,
commercial, industrial, parks, etc.) could be
located
• Combination of
• Community feedback from Phase 1 and
Phase 2
• Jobs and housing projections
• Actions from Environmental Justice
Element, Housing Element and Safety
Element
• Existing city plans, community plans, and
other major projects
• Opportunity sites
• Other ideas, themes, and strategies that
may not be in options currently are
encouraged
• The community’s feedback will form the
basis of the Draft Land Use Framework
7 Community Engagement - Options
• General Plan Advisory Committee
(GPAC)
• Town Halls + Tabling
• Focus Groups
• Focused outreach to priority
communities with a focus on
communities of color in West and
Deep East Oakland
• Walking Tours - Community led
in Environmental Justice Communities
• Deep listening sessions
• Pop-ups
• Survey outreach
• Youth Fellows program
8 9
Community Engagement – Events in Oakland
Options Details
10 Options
11 ?
Other
Ideas!
Overall: Each Option starts with a
Baseline of Shared Growth and
Improvements for all Oaklanders
+
Option A – City of Neighborhoods
shows 18 neighborhood centers
developed throughout the City
Option B – Connected Corridors
and Gateways focuses
development along major transit
corridors throughout the city
Option C –Midtown Waterfront District
focuses development in a new waterfront
district along the central estuary
Baseline: What is Shared Across All Options
• Land Use: Add new housing and jobs across the
City, especially Downtown, near the Coliseum,
along major transit corridors and BART stations, and
in neighborhoods. Limit development in
environmental hazard areas.
• Employment: Support existing important job
sectors and modernize industrial areas. Create
Research and Development (R&D) jobs in
technology, life sciences, the green economy, and
advanced manufacturing.
• Transportation: Improve walking, biking, and transit
connections
• Parks and Open Space: Create new waterfront trail
connections along the Central Estuary shoreline and
the San Leandro Creek, south of I -880
12 Baseline Map: Simplified map representing the
baseline of shared growth and improvement.
Highlights in lavender key growth areas, like
those in Downtown and near Coliseum
Key Differences Between the
Options
14 • The locations and density of new housing and jobs
• The total amount of growth
• The locations and types of proposed transportation and park improvements Option A: City of Neighborhoods Option B: Connected Corridors and Gateways Option C: Midtown Waterfront District Option A: City of Neighborhoods
15 Option A Map shows 18 neighborhood centers
developed throughout the City (purple stars) and
new R&D centers in West and East Oakland and
Jack London (red shapes)
Land Use
• grow throughout the City within mixed -use, multi-block “neighborhood centers” that contain housing,
employment, and commercial uses like grocery stores
Employment
• add jobs in neighborhood centers
• create 3 new R&D centers – in West Oakland, Jack London, and the Port’s Airport Business Park
Transportation
• improve connections to existing transit stations
• make it easier, safer, and more comfortable to walk within neighborhoods
Parks and Open Space
• add/improve parks within or close to neighborhood centers • make parks a central focal point for new development
Option B: Connected Corridors and Gateways
18 Option B Map highlights growth along major
corridors throughout the City (purple) and new R&D
centers in West and East Oakland (red)
Land Use
• new mixed-use development along major
transportation corridors throughout the City
Employment
• add jobs along corridors
• create 2 new R&D centers – in West Oakland and at the Port’s Airport Business Park
Transportation
• more frequent buses along key corridors and improve
• bicycle/pedestrian safety and connectivity along major streets
Parks and Open Space
• new parks and greening at transit gateways and corridor intersections
• smaller parks and plazas along the corridors
Option C: Midtown Waterfront District
21 Option C Map highlights growth (housing, jobs,
park services) in a new waterfront district along the
central estuary to replace old industrial land
(purple) and new R&D centers in West and East
Oakland (red)
Land Use
• focus development in a new mixed-use waterfront district (Central Estuary)
• growth near Fruitvale BART and a new San Antonio transit Employment
• create 3 new R&D centers – in West Oakland, Jack London, and one larger center in the South Estuary
Transportation
• Enhance pedestrian and bike access to the shoreline/Estuary • add a new San Antonio transit station to support a future BART connection
Parks and Open Space
• new parks and connect trails along the waterfront shoreline • create a new linear trail along Sausal Creek to the Estuary
Next Steps
24 Initial
Engagement
Build on Phase 1
input and get
thoughts on
Phase 2 issues
and strategies
FALL 2024 SUMMER 2025
Develop Options
Evaluate different
conceptual
options and
tradeoffs to
achieving
community goals
Draft Land Use
Framework
Combine
preferred options
into the Draft
Land Use
Framework
Hearings and
Adoption
Elements go to
decisionmakers
for consideration
Element
Development
Using community
input, develop
elements for
public review
EARLY 2026 FALL 2026 SPRING 2027
*Community engagement opportunities sharing out of
how input has been incorporated and decisionmaker
meetings will occur at all steps
Next Steps
• Visit the website and sign up for
the mailing list:
oaklandca.gov/gpu
• Stay tuned for other community
events and opportunities to
engage
• Draft Land Use Framework,
coming early 2026
25 A group of people at the General Plan Update booth at a kickoff event at Oakland Museum
Backup Slides
26 27
Shared in all Options
1. West Oakland Link
2. Commercial / production
uses around Prescott Market
3. 4. High density, tall buildings
at transit stations and major
transit corridors
5. Howard T erminal remains
Port-serving, with greener
uses
6. Buildout of specific plans
7. Brooklyn Basin (full buildout)
8. Preserved commercial
centers
9. 42nd Avenue extended,
replacing diagonal Alameda
Avenue
10. More jobs-dense, cleaner
industrial use
11. Completion of transit
improvements identified in
AC Transit’s Major Corridors
Study
12. Buildout of Coliseum Area
Specific Plan
13. Street grid improvements
14. Oak Knoll
15. More jobs-dense, cleaner
industrial use
16. San Leandro Creek greenway
17. East Bay Greenway
28 Option A: City of Neighborhoods
1. Develop R&D Campus at West
Oakland
2. Attract food retailers to
neighborhoods that do not
have commercial centers by
adding more housing and
people
3. Increase first/last mile
connectivity between
neighborhood centers, job
hubs, and regional transit in
coordination with
development of slow streets,
bike infrastructure, and urban
greening
4. Enhance existing commercial
centers in areas likely to
redevelop by adding higher
density housing and
employment uses
5. Add new commercial areas
between Coliseum and
Hegenberger, featuring
live/work, artist spaces, and
production, design, and repair
businesses
6. Develop R&D campus at
northern portion of Port
Business Park
7. Add new parkland or public
space in centers as central
gathering places
29 Option B: Connected Corridors and
Gateways1. Increased density supports
more rapid transit (10-minute
headways) along corridors
where higher frequencies are
desired for overall network
connectivity (especially north -
south corridors)
2. Increase density along corridors
with existing rapid transit
3. Support a parallel network of
comfortable biking streets near
corridors where the right of way
is too narrow for both bike lanes
and transit
4. Plan for larger parks at corridor
gateways (i.e., transit centers)
and key intersections, with
smaller parks and privately -
operated public space
dispersed along the corridors
5. Hegenberger north of 880 is
redeveloped as a mixed -use
corridor with strong connections
to the new R&D campus at the
Port’s Airport Business Park,
while south of 880 Hegenberger
remains airport serving
commercial
30 Option C: Midtown
1. New San Antonio Transit Hub
connects high density
neighborhoods along the
shoreline
2. High-density mixed-use
neighborhood along the
waterfront in former industrial
areas
3. Widened shoreline path and
new publicly accessible green
spaces link Jack London,
Brooklyn Basin, Estuary
neighborhoods, the new R&D
campus, the Coliseum, and
the MLK Jr . Regional Shoreline,
while providing sea level rise
protection
4. Sausal Creek connected as a
greenway , with park space,
trail connections, and public
art
5. Higher density housing along
International Boulevard and
surrounding neighborhoods
prevents displacement of
current residents
6. Street grid updated to extend
42nd Avenue and phase out
the Alameda Avenue diagonal
7. New R&D campus