Oakland USD Workforce & Affordable Housing
QUICK FACTS
LOCATION: Oakland, CA
OWNER: Oakland Unified School District
DESIGN ARCHITECT: Devine and Gong
Oakland Unified School District Workforce & Affordable Housing Analysis
Rivercrest Partners partnered with Oakland Unified School District (OUSD) and Devine & Gong to evaluate the district's vacant properties and develop strategic approaches for maximizing their value and community benefit. Our objective was to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of district properties to determine their value, feasibility, and potential benefits while developing a structured approach to prioritize sites and align with Board objectives.
We focused our analysis on three representative sites to refine evaluation methods and identify key issues, feasibility, and trade-offs. At 1025 2nd Avenue (1.5 acres), we identified potential for up to 128 units adjacent to Lake Merritt Channel, with excellent walkability to Lake Merritt BART and Laney College. The Lakeview site (3.1 acres) could support up to 140 units in 5-story buildings plus ground-floor retail, offering excellent public transit access and walkability to the Grand Avenue retail corridor.
The Former Ralph J. Bunche Academy site (3.1 acres) in West Oakland presents opportunity for up to 195 units in two 4-story buildings in West Oakland.
Throughout the engagement, we helped OUSD understand multiple development approaches including as-is sale versus entitled sale, affordable housing for unhoused populations, workforce housing for district employees, and market-rate housing for long-term revenue generation. Our team provided expertise on affordable housing financing including LIHTC, funding gaps, timelines, workforce housing regulatory environment, new state legislation, and funding approaches with pros and cons analysis.
This strategic analysis provides OUSD with a comprehensive roadmap for optimizing their real estate assets while addressing community housing needs and generating sustainable revenue streams for educational programs.
