While the proposed ‘luxury community’ to rise at 3300 Broadway, at the corner of Brook Street along Oakland’s Auto Row, won’t break ground this year as originally projected by the project team, the development has just qualified for a streamlined environmental review and approvals under the umbrella of Oakland’s Broadway Valdez District Specific Plan.

As designed by YHLA Architects for the California Capital and Investment Group, “The Echo” will invoke California’s Density Bonus Law to rise to a height of 55 feet and five stories upon the site which is principally zoned for 45 feet in height and 37 units, yielding 45 apartments over 2,800 square feet of ground floor retail space fronting Broadway and a stacked garage for 46 cars.

And assuming final approvals are granted by the city, The Echo could be ready for occupancy within 15 months of breaking ground. We’ll keep you posted and plugged-in.

10 thoughts on “Luxury Auto Row Development Closer to Reality”
  1. Broadway from here to Pleasant Valley Road is full of similar opportunities. There are several old gems of a higher density and use still in good shape. It makes me wonder if more were torn down and replaced with 1 story gross 60s/70s garbage or if we’re lost in past earthquakes. When you walk a block off Broadway in either direction the residential buildings are great.

    1. I’m not sure if you have any specific sites in mind, but the answer (to the “earthguake” angle, at least) is almost assuredly “no”: the last earthquake of note before 1989 was 1906, and the area was largely undeveloped at that time.

      Going up Pidmont Ave, is a different story: the very picturesque Hotel Piedmont WAS indeed torn down for the very reason you mentioned, and the (not as great but at least “dense”) apartment next to it was torn down for Kaiser’s…uhm, project. And of course, across form this very site the old St Mary’s College was located, a multi-story building, albeit on a large lot.

  2. This is a great location to get to either the great restaurants and boutiques on Piedmont Ave. or head right down Broadway to Uptown or Downtown. Looks like Auto Row from Piedmont Avenue to 27th Street, will all be 5 to 6 story buildings. This will be a nice contrast to the residential highrises under construction on Broadway and Webster.

  3. When do the types who have gotten burned out of their places get some of this action? How hard does it have to be? Fine, do something out of the ordinary, but when is it the same council members with off spring not able to afford CAL have a heart to look at their photos and think twice about supporting a tin foil type of place like this that has no soul whatsoever? When is it all of y’all stand up for them?

  4. 46 parking spaces??? why? The far better plan would be maybe 6 with every tenant given a local transit pass each month by the developers/owners.

    1. In general, I agree – especially if we’re ever going to begin to seriously address our looming climate catastrophe.

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