On March 15, the Oakland City Council approved moving forward with the latest iteration of luxury housing at the E12th Street parcel, public land that was created when the roads and bridges around the south end of Lake Merritt were recently reconfigured. In supporting the second UrbanCore design for luxury housing on the city property, the council rejected The People's Proposal, an alternative plan for affordable housing with no market-rate units that would benefit long-term Oakland residents and the broader community rather than wealthy newcomers.

Housing activists showed up at City Hall to vociferously oppose the new proposal and successfully shut down the meeting. The council and Oakland police, however, responded by forcing activists from council's chamber, then holding their discussion and vote privately in Mayor Libby Schaaf's office, out of the public eye. Critics question whether the city has once again run afoul of public meeting laws and vow to keep the fight alive for "public land for public good." A final vote on the proposed sale to UrbanCore will happen later this year.

Oakland City Council Approves Second UrbanCore Luxury Tower for E12th St Parcel | EBALDC’s partnership with Urban Core has resulted in protests | Oakland City Council Approves Luxury Development Despite Public Outcry | Announcing Community and Labor Alliance in Support of the E12th St. People’s Proposal

Previous Related Indybay Features: People’s City Council Supplants Oakland City Council To Stop Vote on E12th St Development