500 Kirkham

The 500 Kirkham mixed-use project reimagines West Oakland BART with a 232-foot-tall tower, a low parking ratio, a modular-ready design, and active, pedestrian-only alleys lined with spaces for makers and small local businesses. The project will add 1,032 units of market-rate and affordable housing within a few blocks of the West Oakland BART station.

Urban Planning Partners helped a development team, new to Oakland, though the City’s entitlements process by:


• Reviewing development applications and plans for code compliance and completeness, attending meetings with the City, and strategizing a streamlined environmental review

• Exploring various approaches to development density and ultimately significantly increasing the amount of development approved for the site

Urban Planning Partners facilitated the project’s State Density Bonus application, which was one of Oakland’s first. The State Density Bonus law allowed the project to increase its unit count from 763 units to 1,032 units, designating 11% of units as affordable units for very-low-income residents.

Project Stats

• 1,032 units

• 84 affordable units

• 23-story tower (over 300 feet tall)

Why We Liked This Project: This project will be a catalyst for development in West Oakland. Definitively transit-oriented, it will locate a substantial number of units a stone’s throw from West Oakland BART Station and will activate a vacant lot in a big way, transforming the pedestrian experience.