ENVISION

OAKLAND

⬚ figure

CITY OF OAKLAND GENERAL PLAN

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT

MARCH 1998

(blank page)

E N V I S I O N

OAKLAND

⬚ figure

CITY OF OAKLAND GENERAL PLAN

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT

MARCH 1998

General Plan Congress

*Deceased

Mayor and City Council

MAYOR ELIHU M. HARRIS

FORMER COUNCIL MEMBERS

Oakland City Planning Commission

This Plan is dedicated to General Plan Congress member Del Davis. His leadership in economic circles and deep commitment to the planning practice will be greatly missed. Del's contributions to the continued improvement of Oakland are reflected in this Plan.

ENVISION OAKLAND

CITY OF OAKLAND GENERAL PLAN

Land Use and Transportation Element

Volume 1

Prepared by: COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY City of Oakland 250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 3330 Oakland CA 94612 510 238 3941

MARCH 1998

(blank page)

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Table of Contents .....................................................................................................................................i List of Figures .........................................................................................................................................iii List of Tables ..........................................................................................................................................iv Guide to General Plan Documents ........................................................................................................v Users Guide ...........................................................................................................................................vii

PREAMBLE ...................................................................................................................................1

1 PLANNING CONTEXT...................................................................................................................11

Creating the Land Use & Transportation Element.................................................................12

A Brief History of Oakland .......................................................................................................15

Challenges and Responses .....................................................................................................21

2 POLICY FRAMEWORK.................................................................................................................29

City Structure and Identity .......................................................................................................30

Policy Framework......................................................................................................................35

Industry and Commerce...............................................................................................................36 Transportation and Transit-Oriented Development....................................................................44 Downtown.....................................................................................................................................63 Waterfront.....................................................................................................................................75 Neighborhoods............................................................................................................................101

3 POLICIES IN ACTION.................................................................................................................119

The Strategy Diagram..............................................................................................................123

The Transportation Diagram ...................................................................................................127

Street Classifications..................................................................................................................128

Making the Link between Transportation and Land Use: Strategic Transportation Improvement Plan ................................................................131 Local Access ................................................................................................................133 Regional Access ..........................................................................................................128 Worldwide Access ......................................................................................................140 The Land Use Diagram......................................................................................................143 Understanding the Land Use Diagram.........................................................................143 Land Use Classifications..............................................................................................145

4 IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAM .................................................................................161

Priority Implementation Agenda ...................................................................................163

Highlights .....................................................................................................................163 a General Plan Administration ...................................................................................164 b Zoning Code Revisions ............................................................................................169 c Economic Development Strategy for Showcases ...................................................172 d Community & Economic Development Strategy for Neighborhoods, TOD's, &Corridors ....175 e Transit and Transportation Improvements ............................................................176

Area Views ...................................................................................................................183

West Oakland ..............................................................................................................155 Central/Chinatown ......................................................................................................193 East Oakland ................................................................................................................198 North/South Hills ........................................................................................................205 San Antonio/Fruitvale/Lower Hills ..............................................................................211 North Oakland..............................................................................................................219

APPENDICES ................................................................................................................225

A: Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations .............................................................................227 B: Meeting Statutory Requirements for the General Plan ..................................................232 C: Transportation Improvement Projects ............................................................................235 D: Summary of Standards for Population and Housing Density..........................................237 E: Understanding Floor Area Ratio (FAR) ............................................................................238

LIST OF FIGURES

1 City Structure Diagram..................................................................................................................6 2 City Structure Diagram................................................................................................................32 3 Strategy Diagram .......................................................................................................................122 4 Transportation Diagram..............................................................................................................126 5 Planning Area Boundaries .........................................................................................................182 6 Improvement Strategies, West Oakland ...................................................................................186 7 Improvement Strategies, Central/Chinatown ...........................................................................194 8 Improvement Strategies, East Oakland.....................................................................................200 9 Improvement Strategies, North/South Hills..............................................................................206 10 Improvement Strategies, San Antonio/Fruitvale/Lower Hills...................................................212 11 Improvement Strategies, North Oakland .................................................................................218

Land Use and Transportation Plan Diagram...................................................................................back pocket

LIST OF TABLES

APPENDICES

GUIDE TO GENERAL PLAN DOCUMENTS

"We do not want the new Plan to sit on a shelf, unused for years and years; we want it to be used on a daily basis."

- Letter from Brooklyn Neighborhood Preservation Association, Dec 1994

The Oakland General Plan

• Land Use and Transportation Element
  • Volume 1: Policy Framework, Diagrams, Implementation Program
  • Volume 2: Required technical support for the elements
• Estuary Plan (adopted 1998)
• Open Space, Conservation and Recreation Element (adopted 1996)
• Housing Element (adopted 1995, update due in 1999)
• Historic Preservation Element (adopted 1995)
• Noise Element
• Environmental Hazards Element
• Bike and Pedestrian Masterplan (adopted 1998)
• Any additional required or optional elements adopted in the future, or area / specific plans explicitly adopted as part of the Oakland General Plan

Documents supporting the General Plan (not adopted)

• Technical Reports produced during preparation of the Land Use and Transportation Element:
  • Bus Tour of Oakland (March 1994)
  • Vision, Goals, and Issues (January, 1995)
  • Trends Report (March, 1995)
  • Summary of Survey Results (March, 1995)
  • Policy Audit (April, 1995)
  • Notes from Community Workshops (June, 1995)
  • Environmental Factors Analysis (April, 1996)
  • Community Services Analysis (April, 1996)
  • Draft Goals, Objectives, Policies and Actions (May, 1996)
  • Land Use and Transportation Workbook (November, 1996)

(blank page)

LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ELEMENT USER’S GUIDE

The Land Use and Transportation Element begins with a Preamble, which tells some of the story of the city and its General Plan. The body of the Element is organized into four chapters:

• Planning Context: explains what a General Plan is and how this Element of the City’s General Plan was created, offers a brief history of the City and an appraisal of Oakland’s resources to meet contemporary challenges facing the city.
• Policy Framework: Describes the city’s structure – the places that make Oakland work – and provides the foundation of the Land Use and Transportation Element with ideas about the City’s future organized into five sections: Industry and Commerce, Transportation and Transit-Oriented Development, Neighborhoods, Waterfront, and Downtown.
• Policies into Action: Translates the Policy Framework into General Plan diagrams – one providing a basis for strategies for enhancement and change, and the others illustrating plans for Land Use and Transportation improvements. Accompanying text describes land use classifications and transportation projects to be undertaken
• Implementation Program: Presents a two-part program. The Priority Implementation Agenda identifies five action programs for the five years following Element adoption, and the Area Views describe strategies and priorities for geographic areas of the City.

Some users will read the Element front-to-back. Most will consult it to answer one or more specific questions about the city. The examples below provide guidance for consulting the Element to find the answers to the questions you have about the future of Oakland.

⬚ figure