The MacArthur Tranist Village Developers -- Researching Boston Properties

A 25 story residential tower, the proposed MacArthur Transit Village, is being worked through the approval process in Oakland, California. The structure, to be constructed adjacent to MacArthur BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), was the subject of an Oakland Design Review Committee meeting on August 10th. The transit village, which would become the tallest building in North Oakland, has drawn civic argument (both pro and con) regarding the height, environmental and aesthetic impacts, and the number of affordable housing units. While the building is the subject of debate, the developing company has faced little public scrutiny.

The MacArthur Transit Village is being championed by YIMBY groups East Bay Forward and SFBARF (San Francisco Bay Area Renters Federation). These two groups routinely push a narrative that developers are struggling victims of regulation, impeded by bureaucratic red-tape and neighborhood preservationists. YIMBY organizers lobby for the fast-tracking of development. Generally speaking, the Bay Area does need more housing, as does any metropolitan area. Generally speaking, new housing by a transit hub like MacArthur, with BART and bus access, can help reduce a city's carbon footprint. However, the developers of the transit village are elite representatives of American capitalism, a system riddled with social inequality and environmental injustice.

On July 5th of this year, Oakland city council voted their approval for MacArthur Transit Community Partners LLC to build the transit village. The developing partners are Boston Properties Inc and McGrath Properties. There is not much to be said about McGrath Properties. They are a real estate company that profits from large scale mixed-use projects, and currently owns over 1 million square feet of developed and undeveloped property. The other corporate entity in the partnership, Boston Properties, is of greater interest and should be examined further.

Boston Properties is a major real estate corporation, having assets in Boston, New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, and other major cities, including Oakland. They are the 5th largest real estate investment trust in the New York area, and are the largest landlord in the city of San Francisco. In the latest reported numbers, Boston Properties drew 2.49 billion dollars in revenue, claimed 582.7 million dollars of profit, and holds 18.28 billion dollars worth of assets.

The leadership of Boston Properties Inc is comprised of individuals with ties to big banks, politically influential think-tanks, the federal government, and various major corporations. Co-founder and current chair of Boston Properties, Mortimer Zuckerman, is a member of both the Trilateral Commission and the Council of Foreign Relations, as well as an advisor for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. In regards to US national politics, Zuckerman plays both sides of the aisle by contributing campaign donations the RNC and to Democrats. Zuckerman also owns the New York Daily News and is the editor-in-chief of US News & World Report. Zuckerman is a friend of the Koch brothers; in August of 2010, the Koch brothers declined an interview with the New Yorker (magazine), and Zuckerman spoke on their behalf. (http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/08/30/covert-operations)

Zuckerman was named in a 2006 report `The Israel Lobby` (authors John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt), for using media ventures to lobby for US foreign aid to Israel. In 2008, acting president George Bush appointed Zuckerman to the Honorary Delegation for the 60th anniversary of the state of Israel. Zuckerman spoke out against Barack Obama in the president's re-election campaign in 2012, after Obama expressed support for Israel returning land to Palestine to reinstate the 1967 borders. Zuckerman said prominent Jewish Americans are "are very upset and feel alienated" and warned that Obama would "get less political support, fewer activists for his campaign, and... [less] financial support as well". (https://www.salon.com/2011/05/22/israel_48/ -article by Glenn Greenwald)

Zuckerman has further ties to influencing national and foreign affairs as a donor to the Clinton Foundation. Zuckerman was added to Hillary Clinton's "call list" in 2009 (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/16551), met with Hillary (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/296), and stayed in contact with Hillary (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/26921).

Boston Properties board member Joel Klein contributed to Hillary Clinton's senate campaign. Klein was a White House deputy counsel from 1993 to 1995, and an assistant attorney general from 1997 to 2001. Aside from being a board member of Boston Properties, Klein is also a board member of News Corp.

Another ally of the Clintons, and contributor to Hillary's presidential campaign, is Boston Properties board member Alan Patricof. During the time Hillary Clinton was a senator, the Clintons vacationed at Patricof's house at the Hamptons. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-hedge-fund_us_564a7530e4b06037734a8f0d) Patricof is the co-chair of the New York City DNC 2016 Host Committee, which has Jamie Dimon as a member.

On the board of Boston Properties is Jacob Frenkel, the Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International. When Frenkel joined JPMorgan Chase, he and Jamie Dimon expressed reciprocal admiration. (https://investor.shareholder.com/jpmorganchase/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=428797) Frenkel is also is also a member of the economic advisory council of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Frenkel is a former governor of the Bank of Israel, is a former Vice Chair of AIG, and a former Chair of Merrill Lynch International. Frenkel has also been a member of the International Advisory Board of the Council of Foreign Relations. (http://www.alternet.org/economy/jp-morgan-chase-bank-4-trillion-global-powerhouse-meet-elites-charge)

Also on the board of Boston Properties is Ivan Seidenberg. In the past, Seidenberg had served various functions at Verizon Wireless, including former director, former chairman, and former CEO. During his tenure at Verizon, Seidenberg heavily critiqued President Obama as being anti-business (https://wikileaks.org/clinton-emails/emailid/2133), despite the reality that Obama has been consistently corporate-friendly. Seidenberg has repeatedly been a donor to RNC campaigns.

Boston Properties has deep ties in government, the financial sector, foreign affairs, news media, and varied corporations. They are using the Oakland housing shortage as an opportunity for more profit and influence. A housing project by the MacArthur transit hub is a valid concept. However, it is also valid to question the politics and backroom dealings behind the project. It is valid to question the level of influence the developers have over local, national and global affairs. It is worth exploring the ties between the developers and the institutions that caused the financial collapse and got bailed-out by the government. It is worth considering the power large real estate corporations like Boston Properties have, and questioning how continued corporate growth can influence rental prices and availability of low income housing. It is worth pondering how corporations contribute to environmental degradation. Research is essential when considering the pros and cons of any development project.