BART gets approval for homes in Oakland
By Mallory Moench
A mixed-used complex that includes 762 housing units, shown in a rendering, is approved for the parking lot of the West Oakland BART Station. The transit agency’s planned development is part of a push for more affordable housing near public transit.
The Oakland Planning Commission unanimously approved a huge housing project at the West Oakland BART Station last week, part of the transit agency’s push for more affordable housing near public transportation.
The development at 1451 Seventh St. on BART property, called Mandela Station, features a 320-foot residential tower with 522 market-rate units, 14,350 square feet of retail and 125 parking spaces. It also includes a separate affordable housing project with 240 residential units, 15,944 square feet of retail and 50 parking spaces.
The monumental project is gaining momentum as BART prioritizes building housing at its stations — a concept called “transit oriented development” — at the cost of losing parking.
“Transit oriented development is critical to the future of the Bay Area and I’m confident this will be a transformative and inclusive project for West Oakland,” BART General Manager Bob Powers said in a statement when the agency’s Board of Directors approved the project in June. “Our stations are embedded in many communities and we have a chance to make those areas work better for everyone.”
The $690 million development is one of nearly a dozen building projects under construction, recently completed or ready to break ground this year on BART property. Final plans for the two major housing developments in the Mandela Station project were approved by Oakland’s planning commission, with some tweaks from the original plan, in a meeting Wednesday. Changes include eliminating some office space in that tower, other retail space underneath the BART track and reducing garage parking from 400 to 385 spots. A third 300,000-square-foot office component still requires approval.
“It’s taken us a long time to get there,” said Ronnie Turner, CEO of Turner Development Resource Group, who is handling permitting for the project. “We still have to go through building permits and things of that nature.”
Turner anticipates building will start in 2022. Construction should not affect BART’s operations, other than reducing parking spots and moving some bus stops, the agency said.
The development will take away 90% of BART’s 440 parking spots at the station, including all in the main parking area. A smaller lot on Chester Street controlled by BART and paid public parking spaces on neighboring streets will remain unchanged. The project itself will include the same number of parking spots, but they will be reserved for use by the new buildings, the agency said.
Losing most of BART’s parking at the station was a price the agency was willing to pay — and that it hopes will pay off in the end. The agency’s analysis suggested that 55% of displaced parkers will continue to take the train. The development is projected to generate 1,237 new daily trips on BART.
The lead developer is China Harbour Engineering Co., a massive Chinese construction firm. The company’s project is one of three large developments at or near the station that are part of a planned West Oakland renaissance. Developer Patrick Kennedy has approval for 1,032 housing units on an adjacent site, one of the largest housing projects in the city.
San Francisco Chronicle staff writers John King and Sarah
Ravani contributed to this report.
Mallory Moench is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: mallory.moench@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @mallorymoench