Estuary Park Task Force

• James Vann 
• Jennie Gerard
• John Klein 
• Naomi Schiff 
• William Threlfall

Most recently the task force has been following the developer initiated action to obtain approval for the construction of new residential units. These units would be built on a parcel that has been long planned to be part of Estuary Park. The design for that parcel as a park was already well underway at no small expense. The Coalition opposed the conversion of any portion of the designated park site for residential or commercial use.

Read more about how this issue has unfolded and our response.

The committee has sent this letter in opposition with the approved Community Coalition statement which can be found below.

We will continue to update this page as the process moves forward.

The  Measure DD Community Coalition signed on to the following position statement in our July 2024 Meeting:

“It is the position of the Measure DD Community Coalition that the City should move forward with its established Estuary Park Master Plan, and should reject emerging initiatives to convert any portion of the designated park site for private residential or commercial use -- which would also conflict with the Development Agreements for Brooklyn Basin.

We, the Measure DD Community Coalition, urge City policymakers and staff to reject any such privatization of legally defined public land. The Measure DD Coalition, various stakeholder groups, and the broader affected community will vigorously oppose administrative efforts to amend, rezone, or modify the density or land use designation of Parcel N."

Attendees at the Coalition’s meeting where the vote was taken identify as active in the following organizations: 

• Bike East Bay
• Coalition of Advocates for Lake Merritt
• East Bay Rowing Club
• Essex Community Action Committee
• Lake Merritt Advocates
• Lake Merritt Conservancy
• Lake Merritt Institute
• Lake Merritt Weed Warriors
• Measure DD Community Coalition
• Oakland Heritage Alliance
• Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation
• Portabello Residents Association
• Rotary Nature Center Friends
• Waterfront Action

The image below shows the current estuary park plan (above) overlaid with the proposal for Parcel N. This new plan takes away a big chunk of the park, undoing many years of design work. It also screens the park from the street.

This proposal is bad for Oakland because it:

• wastes public bond funds
• blocks fulfillment of Council action
• significantly compromises park design
• blocks views of the park from the Embarcadero
• constrains public access
• delays construction of the park & raises costs
• complicates bond expenditure management