Join Councilmember Zac Unger to discuss preliminary plans for senior housing at the Rockridge Trader Joe's site. The meeting will begin with a short presentation followed by Q&A. Time-permitting, other topics of discussion may include plans for the old Red Cross site, the City budget, public safety, and more.

As you can imagine, any proposal to build 30 stories of housing across the street from Rockridge BART would generate a lot of buzz. Some vocal constituents are decrying any tall housing projects in Rockridge, but we know many residents are in support of more housing, especially senior housing, despite feeling uncomfortable publicly disagreeing with their neighbors.

We believe the proposed building looks beautiful, that we need more housing, especially in exclusionary neighborhoods like Rockridge, and that it would be fantastic to live in such a convenient location. We should be housing as many people near BART as possible. Plus, if Rockridge doesn't allow tall buildings, even more development pressure will fall on other neighborhoods in Oakland.

Apart from adding height to Rockridge, this proposal is also controversial because it would not include Trader Joe's in the new development. Trader Joe's situation at this location has always been tenuous because they're leasing space from the parent company that owns Safeway, and there's a Safeway less than half a mile away. While it would be great to have Trader Joe's at the new building, we don't know that the city would have standing to demand that the owner include space for their competitor. We support requesting that the developer consider including ground floor retail, but more than anything we want to see this project move forward because we badly need housing.

We also anticipate commenters will complain that this is luxury housing. It is not luxury housing; it is market-rate senior housing. The proposed buy-in price is part of a Continuing Care Retirement Community model where residents pay a sum up-front for guaranteed care for life. It's somewhat akin to long-term care insurance, except that it's tied to one particular place. Long-term care is extremely expensive, which is a problem of its own and one more reason why we need more senior facilities like this one. Whether or not you prefer the Continuing Care Retirement Community model for financing senior housing, there is a deep and growing need for accessible senior housing facilities, which is why we call for this project to move forward.

Official event link here: https://www.oaklandca.gov/Government/City-Council-Leadership/Council-Members/District-1