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The City of Oakland is updating its zoning regulations, the legal standards which govern the development of land in the City. Zoning regulations affect many people living and working in Oakland. We urge you to become familiar with the zoning update process and get involved!
| NEWS! Proposed residential and commercial zoning regulations and maps are available for your review and comment! See Proposed Maps and Regulations for more information. Zoning Update Committee Meeting Map Proposals for North and West Oakland Wednesday, June 23 at 4pm in Hearing Room 1, City Hall, One Frank H. Ogawa Plaza See Schedule + Upcoming Meetings section for materials that will be discussed at this meeting and information on other upcoming meetings. |
The current focus of the Zoning Update, rezoning of residential and commercial areas, began in fall 2008. Since then, there have been more than 50 community meetings, held in all parts of the City. Planning staff has been meeting with neighborhood groups, business groups, and other planning committees for more than a year to discuss zoning proposals. The City has held four rounds of community workshops and heard from hundreds of residents.
At this stage, the Planning Department has developed draft zoning proposals and is looking for your feedback. Staff has begun to introduce draft proposals to the Zoning Update Committee of the Planning Commission, in anticipation of moving on to the full Planning Commission, then the City Council, starting with its Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee.
PAST MEETINGS (Click here to see information on past meetings).
UPCOMING MEETINGS |
Topic |
Date(s) |
Meeting Materials |
Zoning Update Committee – Map Proposals for North and West Oakland |
Meeting cancelled |
Staff Report, |
Zoning Update Committee – Map Proposals for North and West Oakland |
Date: Wednesday, July 14 |
To be posted at a later date |
Zoning Update Committee – Map Proposoals for Central Oakland |
Date: Wednesday, Aug 11 |
To be posted at a later date |
Zoning Update Committee – Map Proposoals for East Oakland |
Date: TBD |
To be posted at a later date |
There are many ways to stay informed and participate in the zoning update.
Why is the City updating its zoning regulations now?
Oakland adopted a new General Plan Land Use and Transportation Element in 1998. The General Plan is a comprehensive and “future-oriented” document that sets the City’s long-term goals and policies for a range of topics (e.g. land use, housing, transportation, etc). The Plan included changes to the city’s land use map, and new policies about how and where development should occur. Adoption of the Plan established a new vision for Oakland, but also created inconsistencies between the General Plan and the Zoning Code. Although piecemeal changes to the Zoning Code have been made over time, it has not been comprehensively amended since 1965. Oakland has not comprehensively revised its zoning regulations since 1965.
The purpose of the citywide zoning update is to make the city’s zoning consistent with the vision established by the City’s General Plan (adopted in 1998). Bringing the zoning into alignment with long-range plans is a top priority of the Mayor and City Council. It is an important step toward revitalizing our economy, protecting our neighborhoods, and creating job and housing opportunities for Oakland residents.
What will be covered as part of the zoning update?
The City has already completed updating the open space, industrial, ”Housing and Business Mix”, and Central Business District zones. There are three components to the remaining work to complete the Citywide Zoning Update:
Residential and Commercial Zoning Update, in progress
The framework for the zoning update are the vision and policies set forth by the General Plan and the Land Use Diagram in the Land Use and Transportation Element (one of the chapters of the General Plan), and the city’s existing zoning regulations, as summarized below:
Issues that are being addressed as part of the residential zoning update include: buildings whose bulk, massing and scale of buildings are out of context with the surrounding context, regulations that do not match the existing development pattern, the need for additional design guidance for medium and higher density development, and how to nonconforming uses (e.g. non-residential uses) in residential areas. Issues that will be addressed as part of the commercial/corridor zoning update include: compatibility of new higher-intensity development with existing development and adjacent lower-intensity residential development, regulations that do not match existing development patterns, design guidance for commercial, mixed use and residential development, activity regulations that are too flexible or not flexible enough.
At this stage, the Planning and Zoning Department has developed preliminary draft zoning proposals and is looking for your feedback. For information about past and upcoming meetings related to the Residential Zoning Update process, please see the Schedule + Meetings section of this website. For all draft proposals, please see the Proposed Maps and Regulations section of this website.
Central Business District Zones (CBD-R, CBD-P, CBD-C, CBD-X), adopted in 2009
Beginning in January of 2008, the City and Zoning Update Committee, along with downtown neighborhood groups, the development and business community, local non-profits and interested residents participated in a process to comprehensively update the downtown, or Central Business District (CBD), zoning regulations to reflect current development trends. The CBD is bounded by Interstate 980 to the west, 880 to the south, Lake Merritt and Fallon Street to the east, and 23rd Street to the north.
After a year and a half of community meetings, Zoning Update Committee meetings, Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board meetings, a walking tour and stakeholder workshop, the Oakland City Council adopted new CBD regulations that became effective on August 21, 2009. The regulations replaced the network of 12 zones including the downtown’s main commercial zones: C-51 Central Business Service and C-55 Central Core Commercial Zones, and two high density residential zones: R-80 High-Rise Apartment and R-90 Downtown Apartment Residential Zones. The new zoning districts regulate activities and uses, generally encouraging pedestrian oriented uses on the ground floor of major commercial streets. Design components are included to facilitate an active and attractive pedestrian environment. Height, bulk and intensity regulations will regulate the form and bulk of buildings to create an interesting skyline and to preserve views.
The intent of the updated zoning regulations, as explained in the City’s General Plan, is to maintain the downtown as a regional transportation hub, the East Bay’s high rise office center and ideal location for dense residential buildings, while respecting the diversity of existing neighborhoods and preserving historic resources, cultural institutions and open space recreational opportunities.
Housing and Business Mix Commercial Zone Regulations (HBX-1, HBX-2, HBX-3), adopted in 2006.
The purposes of the Housing and Business Mix zones are to:
Industrial Zones (CIX-1, CIX-2, IG and IO), adopted in 2008.
The (CIX-1) Commercial Industrial Mix-1, (CIX-2) Commercial Industrial Mix-2, (IG) General Industrial, and (IO) Industrial Office. Zones are intended to create, preserve, and enhance areas for industrial uses, including manufacturing, scientific and product-related research and development, construction, transportation, warehousing/storage/distribution, recycling/waste-related activities, clean technology and similar uses. The primary purposes of these areas are to support Oakland’s economic base and to provide employment opportunities.
The specific purposes of these industrial districts are to:
Citywide Zoning Update