Downtown Oakland Specific Plan (DOSP)
The Downtown Oakland Specific Plan was adopted by City Council in July 2024. It will guide development to meet housing and job needs over the next 20 years while keeping the culture that Oaklanders love.
The DOSP will be implemented through a series of new policies, programs, and updated zoning regulations aimed at achieving several key objectives:
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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.
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Expanded Public Services: Enhanced funding will support improvements in public services, including maintenance and development of health, recreation, and other community facilities and programs.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Plan Boundary
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. Chinatown, an important part of Downtown Oakland, is covered under the previously adopted Lake Merritt Station Area Plan. As the first plan for Downtown, and sixth specific plan done in Oakland in recent years, the DOSP helps connect the existing plans in surrounding areas.
The map below shows the DOSP boundary in pink and adjacent plan areas in blue:
Plan Publications
To achieve its goals, the DOSP is accompanied by Zoning Map, Planning Code and General Plan amendments, 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. Other documents that helped shape the DOSP include environmental review, disparity analysis and equity analysis of the plan options.
Planning Process
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. At the links below you can view meeting schedules, materials and summaries and community input that helped shape the DOSP, including interviews, meeting notes and comments.
News
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Video: What Is the Downtown Oakland Specific Plan?
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