The Oakland Unified School District will lease two of its long-vacant East Oakland properties to a development and construction company, with the hopes of earning rent on the sites while allowing the company to build housing that would eventually house teachers and other OUSD employees, as well as provide commercial space with community resources.
After much debate, the school board voted 5-2 Wednesday night to grant two long-term (65-year) leases on the properties –the former Tilden Child Development Center and the former Edward Shands Adult School – to Eagle Environmental Construction Inc. The developer would demolish the existing buildings and create mixed-use developments at each site that include market rate units, subsidized housing for teachers, a site offering job training for residents, and a hub for the Black Cultural Zone, a coalition of residents and community organizations aimed at helping Black residents thrive in East Oakland.
While the initial leases did not have specific language guaranteeing how much housing would go to teachers and other OUSD employees, vocal community members pressured the board to make it clear that at least 50% of the units will be guaranteed for educator workforce housing.
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