The city is part way through its process of planning the downtown area for the next 20 years.
The plan is a set of policy guidance and goals, looking at opportunities for development, but also trying to keep an eye on Equity, health living, homelessness, parks, and transportation.
Where it concerns us is how it might impact Lake Merritt… how much of the plan might help maintain our parks, what might be done about the impact of encampments on our parks (for instance, while the Plan does have a goal for moving unsheltered to housing, it does not have a goal for reducing encampments).
It also proposes some large scale changes on either side of the channel — the same place where there was fierce opposition to a new Oakland A’s ballpark. While the housing and mixed use proposed zoning wouldn’t have as much of an impact, the maximum heights would be set at 275′.
Comments are due Nov 8th, 2019 (the deadline was extended on Oct 2nd). Submit your feedback on the Public review drafts to plandowntownoakland@oaklandca.gov.
Community for Lake Merritt 