Related California Eyes Affordable Housing in Oakland’s Jack London Square

Related California and East Bay Asian Local Development have advanced plans to build three affordable apartment buildings and a plaza at Oakland’s Jack London Square.

The Irvine-based builder and locally based nonprofit developer have requested permits to construct the five-story, 192-unit complex around a central plaza at 430 East Broadway, SFYimby reported.

The block-size project, to be built on land owned by Alameda County, will sit south of Interstate 880 between 5th Street, 4th Street, Broadway and Franklin Street.

Three interlocking L-shaped buildings would surround a gated publicly-accessible central plaza, with a playground, public art and seating.

Building A, designed by San Francisco-based Y.A. Studio at the corner of 5th and Franklin, would contain 66 affordable apartments for unspecified household income levels.

The 58,500-square-foot project would have 25 studios, 40 one-bedroom and a two-bedroom apartment, with parking for 22 cars and 12 bicycles. The gray and white building, clad in fiber cement and metal panels, would have narrow floor-to-ceiling windows, according to a rendering.

Building B, designed by San Francisco-based David Baker Architects and Y.A. Studio at 4th and Franklin, would contain 55 affordable apartments for unspecified income levels.

The project of unknown size would have 11 studios, 12 one-bedroom, 16 two-bedroom, and 16 three-bedroom apartments, with parking for 32 cars and 22 bikes, plus 4,900 square feet of ground-level shops. The white building would have large square windows and brown exterior balconies, according to a rendering.

Building C, designed by an unspecified architect at 5th and Broadway, would contain 71 affordable apartments for unspecified income levels.

The 85,100-square-foot building would have 15 studios, 16 one-bedroom, 20 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom apartments, plus parking for 40 cars and 28 bikes and 3,700-square feet of ground-floor shops. The brown and white building would have narrow floor-to-ceiling windows, with large corner windows, according to a rendering.

A later phase, also by Related and East Bay Asian Local Development, would add two affordable apartment buildings and a market-rate complex at 401 Broadway. A rendering suggests two seven or eight-story buildings and a 20-story tower overlooking I-880.

The developers would employ Senate Bill 35 to streamline approvals, though Building C was approved by the city in August of last year. A cost and timeline for construction were not disclosed.

Related California, founded in 1989, is a unit of New York-based Related Companies. The California subsidiary has developed 20,700 apartments, and owns and manages more than 13,000 affordable and workforce housing units across the Golden State, according to its website.

East Bay Asian Local Development, founded in 1975 by a group of Asian Pacific Islander college students and young professionals, owns and manages nearly 30 residential and commercial developments, according to its website.