Vanderbilt University buys old CCA campus in Rockridge

"For nearly a decade, a proposed housing project at the Rockridge campus has been the poster child for fierce debates over development and preservation in the North Oakland neighborhood. In 2017, CCA selected Equity Community Builders and the Emerald Fund to redevelop the campus after the arts college decided to consolidate its operations in San Francisco. Initially, the developers proposed a 19-story housing tower with close to 600 homes, which faced vocal opposition from some neighbors, who formed a group called Upper Broadway Advocates."

"In response, the developers and architects redesigned the project, replacing the high-rise with smaller buildings, for a total of 448 apartments, either 5% or 10% affordable. The project would demolish 10 buildings on the campus and preserve two historic structures. Meanwhile, the state of California told Oakland to plan for more housing in Rockridge, an affluent neighborhood with strong public transit, thriving business corridors, and a history of exclusionary zoning."

Vanderbilt University purchased California College of the Arts' San Francisco campus and agreed to take ownership of the college's former Oakland campus on Broadway. The Oakland Rockridge site, a four-acre woodsy estate, had housed the college for more than a century and became the focal point of a contested redevelopment. Developers Equity Community Builders and the Emerald Fund proposed a large mixed-income housing project that was later downsized after neighborhood opposition. The revised plan called for 448 apartments with limited affordable units, demolition of most campus buildings, preservation of two historic structures, and had moved through city approvals before the sale.

Read at The Oaklandside