Construction is starting today on 101 East 12th Street, an affordable housing infill near the southern end of Lake Merritt in Merritt, Oakland. Members of the project team and public officials will gather later this morning to witness the groundbreaking for the six-story complex, completing a winding narrative that stretches back over a decade.
In the press release published last week, Governor Gavin Newson remarked that “this kind of project is exactly what communities across California need to address our housing challenges and innovate at the cross-section of housing, transit, and infrastructure.” Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas said of that plan, “this represents the culmination of more than a decade of community advocacy for public land for public good.” Bas emphasized the significance of the Measure U infrastructure bond that voters approved in 2022. The East 12th Street housing is among the first to break ground while utilizing the bond funds.
101 East 12th Street aerial view, image by Google Satellite
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, Unity Council, and Jordan Real Estate Investments are all jointly responsible for the project as co-developers. J.H. Fitzmaurice will be responsible for construction as the general contractor. EBALDC will also be operating as the future property manager.
Janelle Chan, the incoming CEO of EBALDC, shared in the press release that “with the commencement of this groundbreaking project, we’re set to have seven developments under construction by the end of this year, with over a dozen more lined up. Our significant presence across key East Bay locations—including Lake Merritt BART, North Berkeley BART, Fruitvale BART, and Jack London—underscores our enduring commitment to fostering healthy and vibrant communities for nearly fifty years.”
The 79-foot-tall structure will yield approximately 79,400 square feet, with 55,860 square feet for housing, roughly 400 square feet for ground-level retail, and 5,560 square feet for a 15-car ground-floor garage. Of the 91 future apartments, 23 will be designated as Permanent Supportive Housing for formerly unhoused individuals. The remaining units will be designated as affordable to households earning between 20-60% of the Area’s Median Income. PYATOK Architecture is responsible for the design.
121 East 12th Street aerial view, rendering by PYATOK
Last week, YIMBY revealed preliminary plans for 125 East 12th Street, occupying the second half of the lakeside block. The eight-story infill will be fully affordable and overseen by co-developers SAHA and Eastlake United for Justice. Originally, 101 East 12th Street was meant to accompany a 26-story building by UrbanCore, a Richmond-based developer. Starting in 2013, UrbanCore initially pursued a fully-market rate project, but plans evolved to be 270 apartments of market-rate and middle-income housing alongside 91 units of affordable housing developed by EBALDC. In 2022, the city rejected the 26-story tower, with Council President Nikki Bas saying to the Bay Area News Group, “I do believe this public site should be leased and not sold. It should be used for affordable housing.”
125 East 12th Street site map, illustration from PGAdesign
Future residents will be close to Lake Merritt and ten minutes from the eponymously named BART Station by foot. The estimated timeline for completion has not been stated, but construction will likely take around two years.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
It’s good to finally see something built after 20+ years?
Too bad UrbanCore couldn’t get it together; I preferred the same amount of affordable housing plus a market rate tower. Coupled with the other existing high rise it would have made a nice gateway to the east side at that end of Lake Merritt. Coulda, woulda, shoulda…
Coulda, woulda, shoulda is undefeated!
And added a significant amount of tax revenue.