Photo: Panoramic Interests

The area surrounding the West Oakland BART Station has been relatively untouched by developers as other large swaths of the city have undergone a transformation. Less than a quarter mile east of the station, metal railings surround a parking lot formerly owned by Caltrans. Dozens of trucks and shipping containers remain on the untouched land.

Now, one of the biggest projects the neighborhood has seen in decades will soon be considered by Oakland’s Planning Commission. Approval of any building permits would set in motion the development of more than 1,000 apartments and 59 parking spaces, as well as space for retail, parks and offices. Two new streets would be built to accommodate the massive project at 500 Kirkham St., which includes a 23-story tower.

Unlike some mega-projects in Oakland, the Kirkham Street venture has received little opposition, city staff said. That is partly because the development is being built on a vacant lot, but also because city staff say they have been working closely with the developer, Panoramic Interests, to meet the community’s needs.

“We are hopeful that they will be able to hold the values of our community,” said Councilwoman Lynette Gibson McElhaney, who represents the district. “Overall, people are excited to see vitality in that community. There is always the concern in how well will this diversity will weave into the fabric of the community and not exacerbate displacement.”

McElhaney said her staff has worked with the developer to ensure that existing communities are part of the growth and not “dismantled.”

Patrick Kennedy, owner of Panoramic Interests, which has had major developments in San Francisco, said the project will be home to 3,000 people and will attempt to not just revitalize the area’s once thriving jazz and blues scene, but also build a village of cafes, barbershops and other small retail businesses with nearly 40,000 square feet of space. Part of the ground floor will house a job center for the West Oakland community.

The development initially had just eight parking spaces — a number that did bring in some opposition — but Kennedy said he has worked with city staff since 2017 on multiple redesigns to increase that number slightly. The reason for the lack of parking is to encourage a car-less community that will rely on the nearby BART station, bikes, Lyft and Uber, as well as short-term car-rental services like Zipcar.

“Parking spaces are very expensive to build, and we think the people who live in our building will not own cars because it’s a transit-rich location,” Kennedy said. “We don’t build any parking for our projects in San Francisco, and our buildings are full.”

The project is made up of a seven-story building, an eight-story building and a 23-story high-rise that will contain 1,032 apartments ranging from two to five bedrooms. Eighty-five of those are affordable housing units for families earning less than 50% of the area’s median income.

Photo: Todd Trumbull

West Oakland, once a thriving black neighborhood home to leaders from the Black Panther Party, went through an economic decline during the construction of the BART station in the 1970s. Seventh Street, which intersects the new development, was lined with jazz and blues clubs decades ago. Most of those venues have shuttered over the years. The area has become largely dilapidated, with few businesses remaining. Kennedy said he plans to restore Seventh Street’s history.

“I think everybody wants to see ... vitality on Seventh Street,” said Steve Lowe, vice president of the West Oakland Commerce Association. “We want to see all that come back, if possible. So I think that is kind of the direction we are headed in.”

When developers started building in the city, West Oakland was largely left behind as efforts focused on downtown.

“West Oakland was not attractive to development,” said Greg McConnell, CEO of the Jobs and Housing Coalition. “Everybody wanted to be in downtown. There is just nothing over there (in West Oakland). These guys are coming around now, and they’re saying, ‘We are going to grow our own ecosystem.’”

In 2014, Oakland developed a West Oakland-specific plan that updated zoning laws and laid out a vision for the area that focuses on protecting the community and promoting equitable development, said Darin Ranelletti, policy director for housing security in the mayor’s office.

“The plan focused on higher-density residential developments near the BART station and created an industrial sanctuary to protect industrial jobs in a portion of the neighborhood,” Ranelletti said. “That really set the groundwork for what we are seeing today.”

Kennedy’s project isn’t the only new development coming to the area. Nearby, at 1451 Seventh St., China Harbour Engineering Co. and Strategic Urban Development Alliance won approval in February to break ground on three buildings on BART property, one of them 320 feet high. The structures will include office and retail space.

And less than a mile away from Kirkham Street, Holliday Development was approved in December for a permit to build 316 residential units, coupled with office and industrial space, at 801 Pine St.

As developers move in, Lowe said he doesn’t want to see the artists and artisans who currently make up the neighborhood be pushed out. These projects are an opportunity to help those businesses succeed, he said.

“It’s trickier because it’s been an area that has not received its due for the longest time and needs to be able to say when you come here, you’re going to have a great experience, and it won’t be chain stores,” Lowe said.

If Kennedy’s project is approved by summer, the privately financed project could break ground in early 2020 on its first phase of 311 apartments and around 15,000 square feet of ground retail and commercial space, at a cost of about $185 million.

Sarah Ravani is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani