OAKLAND | Project Rundown & Development

[homebucket]

Iconic Oakland office tower gets boost from key real estate lease
Workspace company signs rental deal that includes option to expand in highrise



By GEORGE AVALOS | gavalos@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: May 3, 2023 at 9:50 a.m.

OAKLAND — A big workspace and creative office company has leased multiple floors in downtown Oakland’s iconic Tribune Tower building in a deal that’s poised to bolster the local economy and real estate market.

Regus, the largest provider of flexible workspaces for tenants, has leased three floors in the Tribune Tower at 13th Street and Franklin Street in Oakland, according to Lee & Associates, a commercial real estate firm. The building is owned by Highbridge Equity Partners, Alameda County property records show.

The rental deal, which provides a major boost to downtown Oakland’s office market, was arranged by brokers Cody Kollmann and Jeff Moeller of Lee & Associates San Francisco and by Joe McGlynn of Lee & Associates Oakland. Kollmann represented Regus in the deal while Moeller and McGlynn represented Highbridge.

Regus, which is one of the brand names of Switzerland-based IWG, a provider of workspaces worldwide, signed a lease to occupy 17,600 square feet on floors six, seven and nine of the Tribune Tower at 409 13th Street.

“IWG and Regus are looking for core markets that can offer spaces to occupiers that seek creative solutions to their workspaces,” said Kollmann, a founding principal executive with Lee & Associates San Francisco. “They are looking for good opportunities to lease space throughout the Bay Area.”

...

Occupants could begin moving into the spaces starting this summer now that Regus has launched interior improvements in the workspaces. The company signed a 10-year lease in the Tribune Tower.

“Regus really wanted to be in downtown Oakland and near a BART station,” Abrams said.

The building also has ground-floor amenities such as the popular Tribune restaurant and Modern Coffee beverage cafe.

The coronavirus unleashed seismic shifts in how companies viewed their space occupancy needs. Regus aims to tap into Corporate America’s quest for more flexible office space arrangements.

“Occupancy in leasing velocity is slow for big spaces,” Kollmann said. “As the market for big spaces is in a lull, creative co-working providers like Regus are thinking long-term and doubling down.”

Highbridge, Regus and Lee & Associates all believe the deal has the potential to attract a variety of new companies to the building and the area.

“This transaction can represent an uptick for the downtown Oakland office market,” Kollmann said.

https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/0...economy-covid/

[unpermitted_variance]

Quick drive-by updates on Downtown Oakland's three tower projects:


1950 Broadway's crane is coming down:




I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out. Good looking glass and great presence on the skyline from many angles.




Mass timber framing going up at 1510 Webster:





2359 Harrison at floor 7 out of 16:

[homebucket]

^ Thanks for the update! Glad to see Oakland is still going strong. Hopefully we start seeing some other projects break ground soon. Haven't heard any new news for awhile now.

[rbehs]

I was at the Fox Tuesday night for a show, and Uptown felt pretty vibrant. I hope that bodes well for more projects moving forward.

[unpermitted_variance]

Originally Posted by homebucket

^ Thanks for the update! Glad to see Oakland is still going strong. Hopefully we start seeing some other projects break ground soon. Haven't heard any new news for awhile now.

I've noticed a few other smaller projects breaking ground recently or making good construction progress. No other towers starting yet though as far as I've seen.

Other projects currently underway:

685 9th Street started recently in a more ignored corner of Downtown. 117 units.




1666 7th Street has been going up very quickly next to West Oakland BART. 79 affordable units.



4311 Macarthur is underway, pretty large project in the Laurel district which hasn't seen much development of this scale. 193 senior units.





And of course there's been lots of progress on Brooklyn Basin, but I haven't followed that project as closely so I don't know if there have been any new starts there. I can name a couple other smaller projects that are wrapping up right now too, but these are the ones that I have seen start more recently.


Uptown has definitely felt very vibrant lately, although I don't know what it was like pre-pandemic. I've definitely been seeing new restaurants and bars continue to open on a pretty regular basis. All around seems encouraging for that part of town, even as other areas of Oakland struggle.

[homebucket]

The specs:
- 217 ft, 19 floors
- 197 units (20 of the units will be affordable)
- 1,900 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 23 cars and 113 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/9qfjMh2RzWqESu7G7

Development Permits For 2305 Webster Street, Northgate-Waverly, Oakland



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:00 AM ON MAY 26, 2023

Development permits have been submitted for the 19-story residential tower at 2305 Webster Street in Northgate-Waverly, Oakland. The formal application follows preliminary plans submitted to the city planning department in early April this year. Segula Investments is the project developer.

The plans for 2305 Webster appear consistent with the April pre-application. A new plan set has yet to be published. The initial filing calls for a 217-foot tall structure containing 191,760 square feet, with 146,470 square feet for housing and 1,900 square feet for retail. Parking will be included for 23 cars and 113 bicycles. The tower will have 197 apartments, of which 20 will be designated as affordable for very low-income households.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/05/developm...y-oakland.html

[homebucket]

More units added. Some solid infill.

The specs:
- 85 ft, 8 floors
- 93 units (24 of the units will be affordable)
- Parking for 29 cars and 23 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/etjC9DtGUQZk35ey5

Revised Plans For 3403 Piedmont Avenue, Pill Hill, Oakland



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:00 AM ON MAY 30, 2023

Revised plans have been submitted for the eight-story residential project at 3403 Piedmont Avenue in Pill Hill, Oakland. The application has been increased from 73 to 93 units by using the State Density Bonus program. Jack London Square-based oWow is the developer.

The new plan creates 93 units, of which 24 will be deed-restricted as affordable. Of those units, 21 will be designated as affordable or moderate-income households and three for very-low-income households. oWow is requesting this alteration be considered a ‘minor change’ to the previously approved plans. This would maintain the same waivers, incentives, and concessions provided before.

oWow is also responsible for the design. The firm writes that the “heights of various building components and transitions of materials respond to the context and heights of other buildings in the area known as Upper Broadway Auto Row.” Renderings from the previous iteration show the building textured with beige cladding to complement the Sawmill Building. Contrasting the tower facade, dark metal trim will be included along the base and in each window frame. The two top levels will be set back from the datum, complementing the height of its historic neighbor.

The property is located along Piedmont Avenue between Broadway and I-580, close to Alta Bates Summit Hospital. The retail-rich Piedmont Avenue thoroughfare is within walking distance of the site, passing the active construction at 230-240 West MacArthur Boulevard. The MacArthur Station BART Station is six minutes away via bicycle or 12 minutes by transit.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/05/revised-...l-oakland.html

[homebucket]

And the renderings:





https://sfyimby.com/2023/05/revised-...l-oakland.html

[homebucket]

18-Story Marriott Hotel Opens In Downtown Oakland



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON MAY 30, 2023

Hawkins Way Capital has announced the official opening of their dual-brand hotel at 1431 Jefferson Street in Downtown Oakland, Alameda County. The 18-story building will split its 276 hotels between the AC Hotel and Residence Inn brands, both owned by Marriott.

The 189-foot tall structure contains 175,910 square feet, including 1,600 square feet of ground-level retail. Management of the 276 hotel guest rooms will be divided, with 143 rooms managed by Marriott Residence Inn and 133 rooms managed by the Marriott-owned AC Hotel. The Residence Inn rooms are marketed for long-stay tourists, while AC Hotel is marketed toward short-term visitors looking for higher-end amenities and finishes. Guests will have access to the expansive fitness center and the 30-attendee meeting space furnished with digital monitors and smart screens.

Stanton Architecture is the project architect. The exterior is wrapped with silver surface panels, metallic finishes, and cement panels. Columns of nine-story bay windows project out from the high podium and to the 11th-floor setback datum. The terraces create an open space for guests to enjoy the view across the city and toward San Francisco.

Both hotels will be part of the Marriott Bonvoy program, which offers benefits for regular guests at Marriott locations internationally. FCL Management will be the hotel operator. Guests will be a short walk to the 12th Start BART Station, close to Frank Ogawa Plaza, also known as the Oscar Grant Plaza.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/05/18-story...n-oakland.html

[homebucket]

Tech cluster emerges at huge revamped industrial complex in Oakland
Old industrial center becomes home for tech, biotech, other cutting-edge firms



By GEORGE AVALOS | gavalos@bayareanewsgroup.com | Bay Area News Group
PUBLISHED: June 5, 2023 at 5:30 a.m.

OAKLAND — A long-time industrial center and former artists’ colony in West Oakland is being reimagined as a bustling hub for tech, advanced manufacturing, biotech and clean energy firms.

The vast American Steel building and nearby industrial sites in Oakland have been reborn with a new mission as a cradle for an array of cutting-edge companies.

Now, a marketing team consisting of JLL commercial real estate brokers Kristi Childers, Eddie Shuai and Charlie Sweeney is scouting for tenants for numerous spaces in the complex, which totals about 440,000 square feet.

“This project is creating new energy in West Oakland,” said Childers, who is an executive vice president with JLL. “It’s creating jobs in the city. This center is helping emerging companies grow in Oakland.”

Several tenants have flocked to the site so they can set up shop in the repurposed industrial sites, at least one of which dates back to the 1920s as the former Pacific Pipe building.

Among the tenants: Pyka, a maker of a pilotless and electric cargo plane; Limelight Steel, which has crafted technologies to produce iron and steel with low emissions; ReSource Chemical, which is creating sustainable systems to make plastics; Molten Industries, which is commercializing ways to produce clean and low-cost hydrogen; and Brix Factory Brewing, a maker of artisan beers.

Other tenants include Fluxion Biosciences; Magrathea, a tech startup; Biosphere, a biotech firm; and Planted Solar, a clean energy firm.

In 2021, the revamp of the industrial complexes launched when ScanlanKemperBard, or SKB, teamed up with an unnamed capital partner to buy a pair of West Oakland sites that included the American Steel complex and the Pacific Pipe building. The alliance bought the properties for $82.5 million.

“With West Oakland quickly becoming one of the Bay Area’s leading manufacturing, bioengineering and research locations, SKB plans to reposition the manufacturing facility into a multi-tenant industrial campus, catering to a diverse set of users,” ScanlanKemperBard stated at the time of its all-cash purchase.

One property is bounded by West Grand Avenue, Mandela Parkway, 18th Street and Poplar Street. Its addresses include 1901 through 2107 Poplar Street and 1960, 1980 and 2140 Mandela Parkway. This site includes the old American Steel property. The other site includes the addresses of 2341 Peralta Street and 1625 24th Street.

...

To that end, the spaces in the massive American Steel building typically range from 10,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet, according to a JLL marketing brochure.

Seven of the American Steel spaces range from 20,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet. A few spots, though are more around 3,000 square feet.

In the Pacific Pipe building, one space is around 21,600 square feet, but the rest of the available spots are around 3,000 to 8,000 square feet in size, the JLL flyer shows.

About a block away from the main complex is a site near the corner of Mandela Parkway and Peralta Street. Most of these are much smaller spaces than the two large buildings.

“The goal is to adapt the industrial structure to the changing needs of makers, artists, technology and other creative work businesses in West Oakland,” JRDV Architecture stated on its website. “The ‘flexible-futures’ strategy will allow the buildings to adapt to the changing economic dynamic of West Oakland.”

The emerging tech hub isn’t just all work and no play.

Touchstone Climbing has opened a huge climbing gym totaling 55,000 square feet in the Pacific Pipe building. An amenity lounge and cafe are in spots next to the climbing center.

The property developer and the site’s real estate agents believe the complex is in a spot that can attract startups from both Silicon Valley and the East Bay.

“It’s close to companies that are growing out of UC Berkeley or Stanford,” Childers said. “They can start their research and development in the small spaces and then grow into the big spaces.”

https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/0...-economy-jobs/

[homebucket]

The sites:
https://goo.gl/maps/KFYvkKdYU3KwRXAx7
https://goo.gl/maps/jjJEQUgikyF7ZfBD9
https://goo.gl/maps/N1oeGWNxUJZJKFsL7
https://goo.gl/maps/F5to51436xWGZEdU6
https://goo.gl/maps/npP2p2WbRtp3Tat37

And the renderings:





https://www.siliconvalley.com/2023/0...-economy-jobs/

[homebucket]

Took this on a recent flight. Oakland's skyline getting a bit denser with some of the recent additions such as 1900 Broadway, the Marriott Hotel, Forma, and Atlas Tower.


PC: homebucket

[rbehs]

Imagine if Alameda put highrises on either side of the Posey/Webster tubes, rather than strip malls.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by rbehs

Imagine if Alameda put highrises on either side of the Posey/Webster tubes, rather than strip malls.

It'd look cool but wouldn't be super functional. I'm okay with Alameda staying a sleepy little town. The little section down Webster is pretty nice and walkable. Otherwise, Alameda in general is just too hard to access to build any substantial density, with just a handful of entry/exit points. Unless of course the second Transbay Tube gets built but who knows when that's coming. Probably 2100. There's still plenty of opportunity to densify and build towers around the BART stations in Oakland proper.

[homebucket]

The specs:
- 8 floors, 85 ft
- 289 units (52 studios, 74 junior 1BR, 58 1BR, 104 2BR)
- 13 of the units will be affordable
- 2,990 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 40 cars and 95 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/NYEhPMQ9gBUbwdGK8

Meeting Tomorrow For 533 Kirkham Street In West Oakland



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JUNE 27, 2023

New renderings have been published ahead of the Oakland Design Review Committee meeting tomorrow for 533 Kirkham Street in West Oakland, Alameda County. The 289-unit project aims to replace a surface parking lot directly across from the West Oakland BART Station. Tidewater Capital is the project developer.

The 85-foot tall structure will yield around 254,850 square feet with 237,860 square feet for housing, 2,990 square feet for retail, and 8,940 square feet for the ground-level garage. Unit sizes will vary, with 52 studios, 74 junior one-bedrooms, 58 one-bedrooms, and 104 two-bedrooms. Of the 289 apartments, 13 will be designated as affordable to very low-income households.

The garage will include 40 cars, despite the proximity to BART. The project plans state that “given that the project site is located directly across the street from the West Oakland BART Station, the city is precluded under state law from requiring any off-street parking for automobiles.” Additional parking will be included for 95 bicycles.

Solomon Cordwell Buenz is the project architect. The overall massing avoids the trappings of collage-like podium-style apartments. Illustrations show an organized design with a gridlike post-and-lintel pattern and a cohesive palette of natural stone. The exterior will be wrapped with textured grey or green granite panels over an Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems facade and metal panels for the carved-out Juliet balconies. The ground level will feature floor-to-ceiling glass around the retail spaces.

PGAdesign is overseeing landscape architecture. The ground-level space will include new planters and trees along 7th Street and Kirkham Street sidewalks and a dog run in the backyard. The O-shaped ground-level apartment will include access to a small private patio. The second floorplan will be U-shaped, opening up more open space for six residences.

The 1.17-acre proposal is one of several that would contribute to a new dense mixed-use district around the West Oakland BART Station. While construction is moving forward on the affordable housing at 1666 7th Street by Elaine Brown, others have not yet started. Most significantly, the Bay Area News Group recently reported that the 1,032-unit plan for 500 Kirkham Street faces a loan default and possible foreclosure. The developer purchased the site in 2017 but has yet to win a construction loan.

Immediately surrounding the train station, BART has partnered with a joint venture team and Turner Development to create 762 homes, 382,000 square feet of office space, and 75,000 square feet of retail across four parcels on BART-owned land. The project has been approved, but construction has yet to start. Other substantial proposals include the 275-foot tall tower with between 400 to 500 units at 600 Castro Street by Frank and Daphne Yang. The Michaels Organization has planned an eight-story infill with 222 units at 1396 5th Street called The Golden West. Lastly, YIMBY covered the preliminary application for a 376-unit apartment infill by Riaz Capital at 1300 7th Street.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/06/meeting-...t-oakland.html

[homebucket]

And the renderings:









https://sfyimby.com/2023/06/meeting-...t-oakland.html

[homebucket]

The specs:
- 8 floors, 78 ft
- 101 units (100 1BR, 1 2BR)
- 100 of the units will be affordable
- 10,900 sq ft for religious facility
- 2,990 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 34 cars and 17 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/A4Dkh4jr78iE6pEz7

Zoning Application For Senior Housing And Church In West Oakland



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:00 AM ON JULY 26, 2023

A new zoning application has been submitted for a new affordable senior housing project and church at 793 West Grand Avenue in West Oakland, Alameda County. The proposal will create 101 apartments above a new home for Joshua Christian Church, which currently occupies the existing religious facility on the corner of Grand Avenue and West Street.

Joshua Christian Church is the project sponsor, and Community Housing Development Corporation of North Richmond is the developer. Of the 101 units, 100 will be designated as affordable to very low-income households earning less than half of the Area’s Median Income, and one will be the manager’s unit.

The 78-foot tall structure will contain around 82,170 square feet, with 71,270 square feet for housing and 10,900 square feet for the new religious facility. The manager’s unit will be a two-bedroom residence at ground level, with all other units being a one-bedroom home. Residential parking will be included for 15 cars and 15 bicycles. Church parking will include 19 cars and two bicycles.

The first construction phase will demolish the Joshua Christian Church and two vacant homes. The eight-story corner building will include 70 affordable units and the manager’s apartment. Phase two of construction will demolish a fourplex at 2204 West Street and surface parking. According to the project application, existing residents “will be provided with permanent relocation benefits per Federal and CA State guidelines.” The new six-story building will feature 30 homes and parking.

Kodama Diseno Architects is responsible for the design. Facade materials include stucco, cement board siding, and wood panels. The community area will feature a community room, a common area, a kitchen, and a lounge.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/07/zoning-a...t-oakland.html

[homebucket]

And the renderings:





https://sfyimby.com/2023/07/zoning-a...t-oakland.html

[unpermitted_variance]

Disappointing but unsurprising news: Hines cancelled their plans for what could have been Oakland's tallest tower at 415 20th Street, by 19th Street BART.

https://sfyimby.com/2023/08/hines-st...n-oakland.html







I hope to see a new version go forward with housing instead of office space, but it doesn't sound like that's on the books at the moment. Hopefully some of the other towers planned for that area still go forward.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Disappointing but unsurprising news: Hines cancelled their plans for what could have been Oakland's tallest tower at 415 20th Street, by 19th Street BART.

I hope to see a new version go forward with housing instead of office space, but it doesn't sound like that's on the books at the moment. Hopefully some of the other towers planned for that area still go forward.

Yeah, very unfortunate, but not surprising given the current market conditions for Class A office space. Let's hope Hines' other residential developments can still pencil out at least.

I posted the update here as well.