There is so much happening in Oakland! With things moving so quickly, we know it can be hard to keep up with ongoing campaigns and policy discussions. That’s why we’ve put together a quick snapshot of all of the work being done in Oakland by our partners and community members.
Housing Accelerator Fund
The Oakland City Council unanimously approved a partnership between the Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) and the Housing Accelerator Fund (HAF) to streamline the loan process and leverage additional funds for the Acquisition and Conversion to Affordable Housing (ACAH) program, ensuring that Measure U funds are being spent for their highest and best use.
Since 2017, Oakland’s HCD has facilitated the acquisition and rehabilitation of 312 units through the ACAH program, but this falls short of the city’s affordable housing preservation and anti-displacement goals. The partnership with HAF, which has successfully invested $450 million to create over 2,500 affordable housing units in San Francisco since 2017, will address stakeholder concerns about the once annual Notice of Availability process by allowing ACAH to operate on a rolling basis, providing technical assistance, streamlining rehabilitation, and leveraging preservation funds.
This collaboration aims to enhance affordable housing preservation in neighborhoods under extreme displacement pressures, benefiting land trusts, co-ops, and non-profit developers working to keep homes affordable for low-income Oakland residents.
Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP)
After over eight years of work, the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP) is nearing adoption. Despite extensive input from EBHO and others highlighting housing affordability, displacement, and homelessness as key concerns, the Plan lacks substantial new affordable housing policies.
It sets a goal for 15-25% of new housing to be affordable, leaving 75-85% market-rate, and introduces a voluntary Zoning Incentive Program (ZIP) that offers significant height and density increases for modest community benefits, without guaranteeing contributions to affordable housing. The ZIP mandates developers to pay the existing Affordable Housing Impact Fee on all market-rate units but is less advantageous compared to the State Density Bonus. EBHO has proposed changes to enhance the ZIP’s attractiveness and affordable housing impact.
On July 16, the City Council approved the Plan and approved on first reading the associated changes to the General Plan and Planning Code ordinances, with second reading (final approval) scheduled for July 30. The final ordinance made only minimal changes to the ZIP program, falling far short of what we advocated.
Impact Fees
After several years of delays, the City is advancing the long-awaited 5-year study of its development impact fees, including the Affordable Housing Impact Fee (AHIF) and the Jobs/Housing Impact Fee (JHIF). EBHO has advocated for quicker fund collection, broader applicability of the JHIF, and increased percentage and deeper income targeting for on-site affordable units qualifying in lieu of paying the AHIF. The City has held stakeholder meetings to summarize their market feasibility analysis, hinting at potential recommendations to reduce or suspend fees until market conditions improve—an action EBHO strongly opposes.
On July 10 the City issued the long-overdue technical report on economic feasibility of changes to the City’s Jobs/Housing Impact Fee (JHIF) and Affordable Housing Impact Fee (AHIF). On July 12, a staff report and presentation were published.
The staff recommendations fall short of the changes we have been seeking.
On July 23, the Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee will have a study session to hear and discuss the report, but won’t be taking a final vote on any changes. We are likely to ask that any consideration of policy options be deferred until September to allow more time to review the reports and get more data and answers to questions we have. We will be putting forward some preliminary recommendations to improve the Impact Fee programs as well.
We are encouraging folks to write to CED Members (Councilmembers Kalb, Fife, Jenkins and Reid) or attend the meeting on July 23 and support EBHO’s position. We will have talking points available next week. If you are planning to speak at CED and are going to register online to speak, you must register by 1:30 pm on Monday, July 22. To register, scroll to agenda item 5, click on the button to register to speak, and then click to confirm.
Measure U Labor Standards
EBHO has been engaged in discussions about potentially adding new labor standards to existing City requirements, such as prevailing wage, local hire, and contracting with Oakland-based firms.
On June 11, staff reported on the results of these meetings to the CED Committee. No specific recommendation was provided – the report included three possible courses of action:
- Keep existing programs with no additions,
- Require Project Labor Agreements (PLAs, or requirements for union labor) on all Measure U bond funded affordable housing projects, or
- Adopt provisions similar to those adopted at the regional level by the Bay Area Housing Finance Agency (BAHFA) and as contained in recently adopted State legislation (SB 2011), which requires prevailing wages, health benefits and apprenticeship programs but does not go as far as a PLA.
Affordable housing developers oppose additional requirements due to equity concerns and the challenge of finding union contractors who qualify as Small/Local Business Enterprises, as well as the impact on project costs affecting low-income housing tax credits and State funding. Both the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Department of Race and Equity expressed strong reservations about the implications of a PLA.
The item remains with the CED and will be reconsidered on July 23, with no formal recommendation yet from staff. The City Council has committed that the upcoming New Construction Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA), expected in mid-September, will not be delayed regardless of the final policy decisions.
Oakland United
As a member of Oakland United (OU), EBHO advocates for community benefits in major developments. During the Oakland City Council’s consideration and approval of a Purchase and Sale Agreement with the African American Sports and Entertainment Group to sell the City’s 50% stake in the Coliseum, EBHO urged the Council to maintain its commitment to public land for public good and ensure robust community benefits.
The approved resolution mandates at least 25% affordable housing at 60% AMI or below, including 10% at 30% AMI or below, setting a baseline for the Coliseum site’s development. EBHO members attended the City Council meeting to highlight the importance of dedicating sale proceeds to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, despite the sale being pushed to address a budget deficit.
As the project progresses, OU will continue organizing community engagement opportunities. EBHO encourages participation in their Oakland Committee Meetings and the Community Benefits Working Group, with interested members advised to contact Dolores at dolores@ebho.org.
Oakland People’s Budget Coalition
As part of the Oakland People’s Budget Coalition (OPBC), EBHO advocated for key affordable housing policies, focusing on issues that wouldn’t strain the City’s capacity while supporting tenant protections and homelessness efforts.
On June 12th, before the first Council meeting on the mid-cycle budget, OPBC held a press conference at City Hall. EBHO’s Community, Faith, and Justice Organizer, Ronnie Boyd, urged city leaders to maintain funding for essential departments and services for tenants and the unhoused, emphasizing the critical need for sufficient housing in Oakland. The Oakland City Council ultimately passed a budget supporting the coalition’s key demands, including funding for tenant protection services, contingent upon the sale of the Coliseum site. You can find the full OPBC Budget platform here.
Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) Regional Bond (RM4) and Proposition 5 (formerly known as ACA 1)
On June 26, the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA) voted unanimously to approve placing the $20 billion 9-county Bay Area affordable housing bond measure to the November 2024 ballot!
If passed, the measure will support the development and preservation of approximately 90,000 affordable homes throughout the Bay Area. Oakland will receive a direct allocation of $765 Million dollars. This will be the single greatest investment in affordable housing in the history of Oakland!
To learn more about how the City of Oakland’s Department of Housing and Community Development is planning for the passage of the bond, visit HCD’s BAHFA page
Additionally, Proposition 5, a revised constitutional amendment lowering the threshold for passing local housing and infrastructure bonds from two-thirds to 55%, will also be on the November ballot, enhancing communities’ ability to achieve their affordable housing goals. More details can be found on the City of Oakland’s Department of Housing and Community Development’s BAHFA page. Join the campaign for Prop 5 here, and RM 4 here.