Purchased for $550,000 in 2014, plans to level the former gas station turned car wash at 411 West MacArthur Boulevard, across the street from Mosswood Park and a park-block away from Kaiser’s new Oakland Medical Center at 3600 Broadway, are in the works.
As proposed, a five-story building designed by Sternberg Benjamin Architects will rise up to 60 feet in height across the nearly 8,000-square-foot site, with 20 condos over a 2,600-square-foot restaurant or retail space on the corner of Webster and a stacked garage for 20 cars.
The development as proposed would take an estimated 18 months to complete. And if approved and not flipped as an entitled project site, construction could begin by the end of the year.
According to the state water board, this site is uninhabitable.
DAY CARE CENTER PROHIBITED
ELDER CARE CENTER PROHIBITED
HOSPITAL USE PROHIBITED
NOTIFY PRIOR TO CHANGE IN LAND USE
PERFORM H&S PLAN PRIOR TO SUBSURFACE WORK
RAISING OF FOOD PROHIBITED
RESIDENCE USE PROHIBITED
It’s like any other site that was formerly a gas station.
All the “State Waterboard” is pointing out is this fact — so your ALL-CAPITALS rant is just obfuscation. As a condition of approval, the project sponsor will be required to clean up any contamination prior to commencing with its development into a higher, better use — in this cause much-needed housing above retail.
Geesh!
It’s not a rant, I just cut and pasted the text from the water board’s document.
The site also contains the phrase “LUST CLEANUP SITE”, which is no doubt some acronym, but given the location on West Mac must inspire some chuckles 🙂 .
[Editor’s Note: Leaking Underground Storage Tank (which isn’t nearly as giggle worthy).]
Well, it’s got to be cleaner than Hunters Point….
The Alameda County Department of Environmental Health has recently outlined the process by which site remediation will be approved and conducted in order for the project as proposed to be constructed.
The site will be excavated to a depth of 12 ft for the basement, down to 17 ft for the elevator pit, and the contaminated soil will be transported to a permitted landfill.
A sub-slab depressurization system (SSDS) and vapor barrier will be installed below the development’s concrete slab foundation to provide adequate protection against potential vapor intrusion into the planned development structure.
And the formal environmental case closure process is expected to coincide with the completion of the project’s construction and the City of Oakland’s building permit and inspection process.
I forsee all similar former gas station, auto service, and motels parcels on West MacArthur going in this direction.
Hallelujah. Finally repairing some of the destruction that was visited on that neighborhood by the construction of 580/24. They can get rid of the other awful gas station further down the street while they’re at it. If only Kaiser would turn the old hospital into condos they could really transform that stretch of MacArthur.
I agree w/ your remedy for Kaiser, but last I heard the plan was demolition…has that changed ??
No. I believe there were some structural issues that it’s not going to be converted.
“No” as in “no demolition” or as in “no, the (demo) plans haven’t changed” ?? It was my understanding that approval of the new facility was contingent upon agreeing to remove the old one (though as the former was effectively required by law I’m not sure how much leverage that really afforded); I didn’t think reuse was ever planned…logical as that might be (Kaiser’s torn down a lot of the neighborhood over the years, and it seems wasteful to end up w/ a field there).
This project’s size is totally out of character for the neighborhood. The residences behind on 37th Street will be looking at a nearly 60′ wall. Loosing privacy and drastically having decreased property values. I bet the county assessor will not even lower those owners property value and taxes either. This homes will be so hard to sell later. It’s inconceivable zoning would approve a development of this scale bordering a residential neighborhood.
West MacArthur is a major thoroughfare and is a shadow of it’s former self. The proposed project has many other buildings the same size and height on this street; it is definitely not out of character. If anything property values on 37th around it would rise. If you don’t want to look at a 60′ wall then don’t buy or rent a home next to lot that is zoned for this type of project. Your comment is a slice of why we are in a housing crisis: self interest above all else.
It seems to be very similar in scale to this building which is about a block away; of course you could argue that was a mistake and shouldn’t be repeated here, but regardless it’s not new territory.
And though it’s true there will be a “nearly 60′ wall” – I’m not sure the height makes much difference once it goes above the roof level of the adjacent properties – it has the salutary effect of shielding the properties from traffic on Mac…it’s still a very busy street.
I’m just surprised they found a way to fit 20 condos with parking on an 8000 ft lot. That’s pretty impressive designed density. Thanks to all posters for keeping the discussion fairly civil overall.