The City of Oakland has published the Draft Environmental Impact Report on the California College of the Arts Oakland Campus redevelopment at 5200 Broadway. The announcement is an important milestone for the developer to construct over five hundred homes, open space, and preserved historic buildings across the four acres. Members of the public will have until late February to provide comment.
The DEIR is available on the city website here. Comments can be provided virtually or by mail until February 26th, 2024. Citizens can learn about the project in person at the Landmarks Preservation Board meeting on February 5 and the Planning Commission meeting on February 7.
5200 Broadway landscaping map, illustration by CMG
5200 Broadway Building A seen looking north, rendering by Mithun
Emerald Fund and Equity Community Builders are joint developers for the project, operating through Arts Campus Holdings LLC. Ten buildings will require demolition, while two historic structures, i.e., Broadway Wall and Treadwell Estate, will be preserved and renovated. Construction will bring two structures with 614,000 square feet for housing, parking for 268 cars, 1.5 acres of privately owned public open space, i.e., POPOS, 1,400 square feet of retail, and 17,000 square feet of office space. Additional parking will be included for 510 bicycles.
Apartment sizes will vary, with 71 studios, 259 one-bedrooms, 168 two-bedroom apartments, one loft unit, and 11 townhome-style homes. The Draft EIR states that 10% of the units will be designated as affordable housing, allowing the developer to use the State Density Bonus program and increase residential capacity.
5200 Broadway redevelopment pedestrian view, rendering by Mithun
Sitelab Urban Studio is responsible for the urban design, with Mithun as the project architect. CMG is the landscape architect, and Knapp Architects is responsible for the historic architecture. BKF is the civil engineer.
The EIR publication marks a significant step for the developer, as reported by J.K. Dineen in the San Francisco Chronicle in April of last year. Dineen wrote, “Emerald Fund is still waiting for the city to publish the draft of its environmental impact report, known as an EIR, without which the project can’t move forward, according to [Emerald Fund President] Babsin.” The article noted that a planning department staff member hoped the Draft EIR would be ready by July.
5200 Broadway Building B and Macky Hall, rendering by Mithun
5200 Broadway site map, image by Sitelab Urban Studios
Dineen quotes Babsin as saying, “We are in year seven of engaging with the community… Unfortunately we have missed the development window.” The developer has yet to reply to a request for comment by YIMBY.
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Finally this project is moving forward. It’s a terrible shame it’s not twice as many units and that NIMBYS forced them to drop the tower but let’s get going.
It is insane that this project requires a 1762 page EIR! The state should be looking into that as a driver of delays with building. CEQA run amok.
Agree. It’s definitely used to drive projects off the road.
No argument that housing is badly needed but the proposed 500+ housing units and parking for 268 cars means significant adjacent neighborhood street parking problems unless addressed up front in the planning process. Traffic flows on adjacent Clifton, Broadway, Broadway Terrace and College Avenue roadways also must be addressed up front and not after construction commences.
Wow 7 years of community outreach and nothing close to being built. That is so progressive, so much for a dire housing crisis.
We must preserve the neighborhood character to what it was in 1920 donchaknow.