Project atop Lake Merritt BART Station gets green light

Four buildings would include 556 apartments and 500K sf of offices

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation's Andy Madeira, Strada Investment Group's Jesse Blout, Michael Cohen and Scott Stafford and a rendering of the Lake Merritt BART project (EBALDC, Strada Investment Group, PYATOK, Getty)
East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation's Andy Madeira, Strada Investment Group's Jesse Blout, Michael Cohen and Scott Stafford and a rendering of the Lake Merritt BART project (EBALDC, Strada Investment Group, PYATOK, Getty)

A two-block development consisting of four mixed-use office and apartment towers near Laney College in Oakland has moved forward with a green light from BART.

The East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation and Strada Investment Group were approved by the transit agency to build the initial phase of homes and offices atop the Lake Merritt Station, SFYimby reported. 

The joint venture between EBALDC, based in the city, and San Francisco-based Strada Investment plans to build 556 apartments and 500,000 square feet of offices on the edge of Chinatown near the college.

The initial phase, bounded by a 1.3-acre lot between 9th, 8th, Fallon and Oak streets, would include a 28-story tower and an eight-story apartment building with market rate, affordable and senior housing units.

The highrise would include 360 studio, one- and two-bedroom apartments, of which 36 would be set aside as affordable. The second building would include 97 affordable apartments for seniors. Both would include an unspecified area of ground-floor shops and restaurants.

Between both buildings would be a paseo running atop the BART tunnel, to serve as a public plaza. A master plan includes parking for 408 cars and 250 bicycles.

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The second phase, bounded by another 1.3-acre area between 7th, 8th, Oak and Madison streets, would begin after the first block is completed. Plans call for a 10-story, 495,333-square-foot office tower, plus a seven-story, 100-unit affordable housing complex with a daycare center.

The Lake Merritt BART project – with PYATOK of Oakland leading the overall design and Chicago-based Solomon Cordwell Buenz designing the towers – would feature glass-fronted highrises, of which one would have a twisting facade and the other a cutaway for a landscaped terrace.

The apartment buildings would be accented in beige, gray and brown, with rooftop decks.

The East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation is also moving forward on a plan to replace a tiny village for homeless residents with a 91-unit apartment complex for low-income residents near Lake Merritt.

— Dana Bartholomew

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