OAKLAND, CA—Trammell Crow Residential is underway with a redevelopment of a parking lot located at 2330 Webster St. between Webster Street and Valdez Street at 23rd Street. The plans call for turning the little-used lot into a mixed-use destination that includes luxury apartment homes, retail, parking, employment and art. Completion is slated for summer 2019.
The Alexan Webster has a central location with its close proximity to Lake Merritt and the thriving Uptown area with amenities such as Whole Foods, restaurants and shops. The Cathedral of Oakland and the 19th Street BART station are also nearby, with access to the Alameda-Contra Costa Transit bus route and Interstate 580. Walkscore.com gives the Alexan Webster a walk score of 98 out of 100.
The Bay Area office of Trammell Crow Residential and KTGY Architecture + Planning celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony last week. Designed by KTGY, this 1.42-acre redevelopment project represents a unique public/private partnership between the city and Trammell Crow, and is a culmination of more than four years of planning.
“This development takes an under-used piece of property and creatively redevelops it, providing essential housing, retail and art elements that benefit Oakland without displacing anyone living or working in the area,” said Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf.
The $135 million sustainable development will feature a 234-unit mixed-use luxury apartment community with 15,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving street-front retail. The design also includes a parking garage with 242 public city stalls as well as unbundled parking for the Alexan Webster residents.
“The Alexan fills a void in the city's urban fabric by creating an active project frontage on both Valdez Street and Webster Street. The project wraps around an existing auto body shop and the former Hawker Fare restaurant at the corner of 23rd and Webster,” said Jessica Musick, associate principal in KTGY's Oakland office.
The design includes approximately 5,000 square feet of indoor amenity and leasing space, as well as a lap pool, which is rather unique for an apartment community, and a rooftop deck that capitalizes on the dramatic views of Lake Merritt, the Oakland hills and downtown Oakland. Additionally, the Alexan Webster will feature an art installation on the rooftop deck that can be illuminated at night, visible throughout the neighborhood.
“Contextually, the architecture is very fitting for this site and Uptown neighborhood,” Musick tells GlobeSt.com. “The sustainable design of the Alexan Webster will enhance the livability of the community. The city has done an excellent job in creating mass in this neighborhood so we have many projects going on simultaneously and making a more pedestrian-friendly environment that also better supports the neighborhood-serving retail. The revitalization of downtown Oakland has also attracted a number of new companies including Oracle UBER Technologies, Pandora Media and Blue Shield. KTGY also relocated to larger office space in Uptown on June 23, 2017.”
The new apartment community will feature a mix of studios, one- and two-bedroom apartment homes, ranging in size from 610 square feet to 1,160 square feet. The energy-efficient apartment homes will include full-size washers and dryers, gourmet-style kitchens, and large picture windows. In addition to the lap pool, the community amenities will also include a community center, concierge, rooftop lounge, business center, 24-hour fitness center, outdoor kitchen, bicycle repair center, storage and a pet spa.
“The new, high-quality mixed-use residential community is an important part the Broadway Valdez District Specific Plan,” Musick tells GlobeSt.com. “Providing around 15,000 square feet of retail along Valdez Street, this new building will work in conjunction with a future development across the street to create the Valdez retail corridor.”
As part of the agreement with the city of Oakland, Alexan Webster will designate 15% of its units as affordable to households earning between 50%, 80% and 120% of the area's median income.
“I am pleased that the developer has made a commitment to provide a mix of market rate and affordable housing that allows us to maintain economic diversity in Oakland–these are the types of developments we want and need,” said Lynette Gibson McElhaney, a member of the Oakland city council representing District 3.
In addition to Alexan Webster, KTGY is working on multiple projects where residential towers are now being constructed on sites that were once city, office building and shopping center parking lots.
“With the demand for housing at an all-time high and the shortage of buildable land, there is a unique opportunity to densify these areas and transform them into a live-work-play destination,” Musick tells GlobeSt.com.
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Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown is an editor for the south and west regions of GlobeSt.com. She has 25-plus years of real estate experience, with a regional PR role at Grubb & Ellis and a national communications position at MMI. Brown also spent 10 years as executive director at NAIOP San Francisco Bay Area chapter, where she led the organization to achieving its first national award honors and recognition on Capitol Hill. She has written extensively on commercial real estate topics and edited numerous pieces on the subject.
