The City of Oakland proudly announces the adoption of the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP), marking a historic milestone as the first-ever specific plan for Downtown Oakland and breaking new ground in the comprehensive range of topics it views, implements and measures through a racial equity lens. Adopted by the City Council on July 16, 2024, this transformative plan sets forth a visionary roadmap for the future of Downtown Oakland, aiming to address the city’s evolving needs while preserving its rich cultural heritage.
The Downtown Oakland Specific Plan encompasses areas from the Jack London District through 27th Street in the Koreatown-Northgate (KONO) neighborhood and from I-980 through Lake Merritt. Although Chinatown is an important part of Downtown Oakland, it is covered under the previously adopted Lake Merritt Station Area Plan.
Community engagement has been at the heart of the DOSP development process. Over the past eight years, thousands of Oakland residents have provided input through more than 200 engagement activities. The final DOSP reflects a wide range of community voices and adapts to evolving social and economic conditions, including those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. It emphasizes racial equity and aims to rebuild community trust while enhancing resilience for the future.
The DOSP will be implemented through a series of new policies, programs, and updated zoning regulations aimed at achieving several key objectives:
- Increased Housing and Jobs: The plan anticipates the creation of 29,100 new housing units, including more than 7,200 affordable units, and emphasizes job growth near transit hubs to ensure accessibility for all Oakland residents.
- Expanded Public Services: Enhanced funding will support improvements in public services, including maintenance and development of health, recreation, and other community facilities and programs.
- Local Business Revitalization: The DOSP includes initiatives to revitalize local businesses and support economic development, ensuring a thriving commercial landscape and building community wealth, particularly in communities of color harmed by racial disparities.
- Enhanced Public Safety: Strategies will be implemented to activate the streets and improve safety throughout downtown, addressing the needs of a growing and diverse population.
- Modernization and Climate Resilience: The plan modernizes downtown’s role in the regional economy and the Oakland community while preparing for climate change and sea level rise, integrating sustainable practices and technologies.
- Cultural Preservation and Enhancement: The DOSP includes specific initiatives, such as supports for the Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAMBD), aimed at protecting and uplifting the arts and cultural heritage of Oakland.
- Community Reconnection: Efforts will focus on reconnecting West Oakland with downtown, fostering greater unity and accessibility across the city and repairing damage done to West Oakland’s Black community.
To achieve its goals, the DOSP is accompanied by amendments to the Zoning Map, Planning Code and General Plan, which increase allowable density and flexibility in land use, and implement tools to protect and enhance community assets such as local businesses, public streets, historic buildings and cultural institutions.
The amendments include a Zoning Incentive Program designed to encourage developers to provide more housing and space for jobs while also providing community benefits such as affordable housing, public realm improvements such as outdoor performance spaces and cultural district infrastructure, below-market-rate commercial space to be tenanted in partnership with local nonprofit organizations and land trusts, and public restrooms.
City departments and staff will use the DOSP to guide policy decisions, resource allocation, and advocacy efforts at regional and state levels. The plan will also facilitate eligibility for grants and philanthropic support, and its Environmental Impact Report will streamline approvals for projects aligned with the DOSP’s goals.
For more details, the Final Draft Downtown Oakland Specific Plan is available at oaklandca.gov/DOSP. This comprehensive policy document is accompanied by a user-friendly DOSP Handbook for easy reference.
What they're saying:
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao stated, “My administration is proud to complete and deliver the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan. This plan, which has been promised for years, details the vision for a diverse downtown with activated spaces to bolster the unique retail, eclectic culinary attractions, and vibrant nightlife that fuels the Town’s economic engine.”
Councilmember Carroll Fife, whose district includes the DOSP area, said, “The multi-year DOSP is finally moving forward and Oakland residents and visitors will soon begin to see the benefits of this process. This is the type of long-term planning required to address the immediate and future housing and economic development needs in our culturally rich Downtown district. I’m excited for what’s in store for Oakland.”
"The adoption of the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan affirms every resident's claim to guide and enjoy a shared destiny in the core of the City we call home. This moment also signifies a new beginning to enhance Oaklanders' lives, as we continue to adapt and revitalize one of the Bay Area's most important social, cultural, economic, and transportation hubs. Many thanks to all whose hard work brought us to this milestone," said William Gilchrist, Planning and Building Department Director.
“I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of how we marry the safety concerns with the needs of the industrial zone and how we think about the different cultural districts, how we think about the flexibility in ground floor plans and commercial plans...I want to commend you all on the work done here,” commented Planning Commissioner Sahar Shirazi.
Planning Commissioner Alex Randolph noted, “Twenty-four/seven activation of downtown will make it more livable, walkable, sustainable, and more safe.”
“This plan has bold objectives, it seeks to promote policies to uplift economic opportunities, preserve our culture, enhance mobility, produce housing opportunities across the board, and promote health and sustainability initiatives. It embodies the optimism for Oakland that we discussed in our last hearing.” – Planning Commissioner Jennifer Renk.
“Safer DIY is thrilled to see the DOSP include adaptive reuse of downtown buildings for arts and culture uses, especially workload housing for artists... We hope this plan will set a valuable precedent and that workload housing will be extended to other parts of Oakland,” according to Sarah Lockhart, Director of Safer DIY Spaces(public comment at Planning Commission)
“One of the things we really do appreciate... is the approach to dealing with the issues we brought up after the original 2019 publication... and the acknowledgement of the unique blue-collar jobs that are unique to this part of the city,” per Mike Jacob, Pacific Merchant Shipping Association (public comment at CED Committee)
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