Development permits have been approved for the five-story affordable infill proposed at 4655 Steele Street in Oakland, Alameda County. The approval comes just under a year after plans for the site first surfaced with a pre-application last year. Eagle Environmental Construction is the project sponsor.
The pre-application was first filed to the city of Oakland on September 21st, 2023, and the formal application was submitted in May of this year. By June, the city confirmed the application would be streamlined with Senate Bill 35, and residential capacity increased above base zoning through the State Density Bonus program. The first application was determined ineligible for SB35 streamlining for conflicts with multiple zoning objective standards, but a revised application was approved last Wednesday.
4655 Steele Street pedestrian view, rendering by Kodama Diseno Architects
4655 Steele Street site map, illustration by Kodama Diseno Architects
If built, the 56-foot tall structure will yield around 54,950 square feet, with 42,750 square feet for housing, 1,700 square feet of community space, 600 square feet for administrative office space, and 230 square feet for storing 33 bicycles. Unit types will vary with 24 one-bedrooms, 24 two-bedrooms, and eight three-bedrooms. The rear portion of the project will be dedicated to a 34-car surface parking lot.
Kodama Diseno Architects is responsible for the design. The design has remained unchanged since our June coverage. The exterior will be wrapped with a mix of board-formed concrete, bright orange fiber cement panels, and stucco.
4655 Steele Street, rendering by Kodama Diseno Architects
The roughly half-acre property is located along Steele Street, close to Buell Street and Calaveras Avenue. Demolition will be required for the six vacant OUSD structures next to the operating Urban Montessori Charter School.
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Because of the Montasori school ( which has grown a lot, and the Julia Morgan ( jr high ) at Mills.
There is NO street parking. Steele st. Is narrow with a blind curve right by the school.
The traffic gridlock there is already horrendous and dangerous for small children.
This situation and traffic from Mills contributes to gridlock under the 580Underpass. This spot is next to a senior center, which would be next store to this new project.
A splinter fault from the Hayward fault (which is a few blocks away) runs down Steele St.
This project is a complete surprise to us.
56 units, not 56 feet.
Looking for studio one bedroom, single person
Is there going to be enough parking? Steele Street is already pretty cramped with the school being next door. Staff and parents have a difficult time finding parking, especially on Street Sweeping Days. Can I ask when construction is starting so we can inform our families?
This project definitely has insufficient parking for our neighborhood.
Steele street is very narrow and has traffic issues from the school traffic. It’s impossible for tow vehicles to safely maneuver down the street without nearly hitting each other. At certain times of the day there is gridlock and no parking. There are always small children around. This development will further clog the neighborhood and present traffic hazards for neighbors and school children.
Our area is being unfairly targeted for affordable housing. The streets in this area are already having parking difficulties. An enormous building is already being built on the corner of High Street and McArthur Blvd. The Bldg. on the corner of Thompson and Buell is not even full (this building was said to be for school teachers). We cannot handle this building in our area!