Tomorrow (January the 18th) the Oakland planning commission will consider sweeping changes to the city’s zoning code that could negatively impact housing production. The most important changes identified by East Bay Forward are:

A reduction in 5' maximum building height in RM (Mixed use) zones, while at the same time increasing the minimum height of the first floor. This can potentially turn new projects proposing quadplexes and triplexes into duplexes, effectively halving the city’s ability to produce the housing we need.

An increase in setbacks for new buildings in RU (Urban Residential) zones, further limiting the total floor space available for squeezing in as many units as we need; and we need a lot! Urban Residential zones provide for some of the densest neighborhoods of Oakland, and this proposal would make them a lot less dense.

On the flip side, there are some positives. The proposed update also includes:

Increased in HBX zones. HBX stands for “Housing and Business Mix” and covers mixed use districts that are a mix of retail and residential. The sweet spot of livability.

Raising the threshold for conditional use permits going to a public hearing (where there is threat of a CEQA appeal) from 2 units to 5 units. This makes more homes un-appealable and streamlines housing production.

Oakland from Above

Live or work in Oakland? Write a letter to the Oakland planning commission telling them you support the supply friendly updates but oppose the parts that kill new housing — and to make things easy, we created a template with all the relevant email addresses here.

Want to do more? Join our friends at East Bay Forward tomorrow night (6pm) at the planning commission meeting and give public commentary. Not sure who to talk to or how to go about it? Hit up info@eastbayforward and they’ll make sure you know where to be and what to do.