The Gold Coast District is an area on the west side of Oakland's historic and unique Lake Merritt. It is the western anchor of this jewel of an urban lake, and was designated a historic neighborhood by the City in the early 1980's. Its geographical boundaries extend from 14th Street to the South, Lakeside Drive to the North, and Harrison Street to the West. Lakeside Drive and the lake are its eastern border.
The Gold Coast is characterized by a significant number of structures built in the 1920's featuring art deco and beaux arts architecture. Many of these buildings are highly graded historic landmarks. The Gold Coast houses one of the few remaining formal gardens in the City of Oakland. Schilling Gardens is an A1+ historic resource, and appears on the city's inventory of historical assets.
The neighborhood is the gateway to beautiful Lake Merritt and is within walking distance of many amenities. These include:
There are many established retail businesses in or adjacent to the district — all within walking distance. These feature: a host of ethnic restaurants, cleaners, small grocery outlets, Longs, Sears, and Whole Foods. Additionally, several banks populate the area along with professional businesses such as: attorneys, financial and investment firms, and tax professionals.
During Jerry Brown's reign as Mayor, the city was overwhelmingly subjected to a rush of residential development akin to the old homestead rushes in the early 20th century. Developers indiscriminately assaulted neighborhoods with profit mtoivated building that showed little respect for the surrounding neighborhoods or the communities occupying them. Developers also targeted the five percent of Oakland's land mass that remains industrial land.
Developers envision for the Gold Coast, in particular, very expensive condominium development through some five or six applications submitted for proposed highrises exceeding 30 stories. None of these applications and proposals gave consideration to affordability. They are destined for "new" residents with disposable income who can afford condos ranging from $800,000 to $1,000,000.
One such proposed development is a 42–story high-rise condominium project, with market values of $800 to $1,000 per square foot. Less than 500ft, from the lake, it would destroy Schilling Gardens, created in 1882; an irreplaceable asset to this district. It is also felt that the proposed project will create many irreversible problems, such as destructive shadows, a wind corridor at ground level, excessive density, infrastructure burdens, and a traffic nightmere. It will adversely impact the lake; the oldest bird sanctuary in the nation. This project is currently undergoing an environmental review, a draft of which is projected to be completed by August or September of 2008. It will almost certainly be challenged if any of the elements to be reviewed are expedited or exempted.
If all of the pending applications for similar projects proposed for this district are approved and developed, one result is inescapable — the district will effectively become a private, and gated community. Many long time residents will be forced out and dislocated. We have seen this form of gentrification and its devastating consequences in many urban areas, including the Western Addition and the Bay View Hunter's Point communities of San Francisco.
As a part of its mission, The Gold Coast Neighborhood Alliance is monitoring this potential development and is networking with various community groups to robustly address any and all attempts to destroy the character of this neighborhood. It will thwart development efforts to gentrify this district in a manner that would dislocate current residents and create another crisis in this city.