"Oakland has long been a leader in pursuing equitable transit-oriented development, but we cannot meet the scale of this crisis alone. SB 79 provides essential statewide standards and tools." Barbara Lee (still) speaks for me
Replies
Exactly why is the City of Oakland helpless in this regard? This is a bit of a self-own isn't it?
aug 25, 2025, 5:38 pm • 4 0 • view
Oakland can do more within its own boundaries, but no city can solve the housing crisis on its own State action ensures that all cities are rowing together
aug 25, 2025, 5:58 pm • 14 0 • view
SF is a major problem in the bay. As are the cities north and south Oakland. LA is a major problem because it only wants building in DTLA, Hollywood, and Ktown, and doesnt want housing in the valley or west LA. Santa Monica, Beverly Hills etc are also major problems.
aug 25, 2025, 6:24 pm • 4 0 • view
I just think it's ridiculous that SB 79 would still influence places like Berkeley, where I live, which pretend to be pro-housing. Such cities should be front-running the SB 79 rules if they want to be taken seriously.
aug 25, 2025, 6:31 pm • 5 0 • view
Berkeley has been better building new housing than much of the Bay Area. Oddly.
aug 25, 2025, 6:39 pm • 0 0 • view
I dont like car sprawl but i think cities should basically be Houston. No zoning. build what you want as long as it's up so safety code. SB79 is a major step forward but we have a long way to go until we reach Houston levels of housing liberalization.
aug 25, 2025, 6:37 pm • 2 0 • view
in my mind an ideal California would be Houston zoning while protecting nature and open space right outside of the city limits. Make developed california like Houston, Tokyo, Manhattan, Paris or CDMX if there's demand. Then mountains and beaches right next door.
aug 25, 2025, 6:37 pm • 1 0 • view
I would not want a Houston level of suburbarn sprawl with a downtown decimanted by parking lots. LA already tried that and it sucks.
aug 25, 2025, 8:24 pm • 0 0 • view
I didnt say Houston sprawl. I said houston zoning. If you want to build something on your land, do it. LA is largely built out unlike houston. LA needs to eliminate restrictions on building up, and protecting undeveloped land outside of the city.
aug 25, 2025, 8:27 pm • 2 0 • view
Houston zoning is how you get Houston sprawl though
aug 25, 2025, 8:34 pm • 0 0 • view
Houston zoning is how you eliminate homelessness. LA's already sprawled. Can't change that. We need to build up & let people build densely in our urban core, away from the desert and mountains. Let people build whatever they want in the already developed core & suburbs.
aug 25, 2025, 8:41 pm • 0 0 • view
I kinda doubt SB 79 will ever apply within Berkeley tbh
aug 25, 2025, 7:38 pm • 1 0 • view
Berkeley will almost certainly qualify for deferral (based on their middle housing allowing >50% of what SB 79 does), and then easily meet the standards for a local alternative plan
aug 25, 2025, 7:43 pm • 0 0 • view
Doubt Berkeley applies for a deferral
aug 25, 2025, 7:44 pm • 4 0 • view
Lame. we need more density concentrated aound metro stations too. I guess it's a good compromise in the medium term.
aug 25, 2025, 7:46 pm • 1 0 • view
Yep. ~450k units are needed in 9 bay area counties by 2031, and Oakland has zoned capacity for 30k (12%) Oakland is unlikely to assemble funding to build even that 30k though. Measure U funds 2.4k units and we probably can't pass another measure to fund the rest We need all cities to get to 450k
aug 25, 2025, 7:12 pm • 1 0 • view
If the 9 bay area counties were willing to pass a funding measure that funded all 450k units in Oakland though we could probably figure out how to zone for it :)
aug 25, 2025, 7:14 pm • 1 0 • view
Oakland could easily approve 50k units under current law but there is no money, no financing, and half the recently completed projects have been handed back to lenders.
aug 25, 2025, 7:16 pm • 3 0 • view
My canary is Mandela Station at West Oakland BART has been fully entitled and ready to go, but has not been able to fund funding At the most recent neighborhood presentation the developers were pitching converting Mandela Station to an "AI Datacenter" to take advantage of BART's deals with PG&E
aug 25, 2025, 8:21 pm • 3 0 • view
Amazing. The marginal funding the city or whomever would need to provide in order to resuscitate those projects amounts to almost nothing.
aug 25, 2025, 8:23 pm • 0 0 • view
They are splitting the project. The affordable housing portion has recently been funded by Measure U and will be proceeding, the developer's pitched converting the market rate portion to an AI Datacenter.
aug 25, 2025, 8:31 pm • 0 0 • view