Oakland General Plan

The plan document

Read Oakland's official General Plan: Oakland General Plan → · Composite plan; element-by-element (see notes) · 2023-09-26

Elements · 8 Verifier-checked summaries

• Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) — Land Use (adopted 1998; partially updated 9/2023) → Land Use 1998 (updated 2023-09)

  Oakland's land use policies are set by the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE), adopted 1998 and partially updated September 2023. It guides local land use and development, with an agenda to encourage sustainable economic development, build on the transportation network, increase residential and commercial development downtown, reclaim the waterfront for open space and mixed uses, and protect existing neighborhoods while concentrating new development in key areas. General Plan residential land use designations include Hillside Residential (RH-1 to RH-4), Detached Unit Residential (RD-1, RD-2), Mixed Housing Type (RM-1 to RM-4), and Urban Residential (RU-1 to RU-5), supporting housing from estate lots to multifamily high-rise. Policies address minimizing industrial/commercial nuisances on residential uses (I/C4.2), locating large-scale commercial activities (N1.4), and buffering residential areas (N5.2).

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• 2023-2031 Adopted Housing Element (Chapters 1-4) → Housing 2023-01-31 (HCD certified 2023-02-17)

  The 2023-2031 Adopted Housing Element (City Council adopted 1/31/2023; HCD-certified in full compliance 2/17/2023) sets a foundational framework of five overarching goals in its Chapter 4 Housing Action Plan: (1) Protect Oakland Residents from Displacement and Prevent Homelessness; (2) Preserve and Improve Existing Housing Stock; (3) Close the Gap Between Affordable and Market-Rate Housing Production by Expanding Affordable Housing Opportunities for extremely-low, very-low, low, and moderate-income households; (4) Address Homelessness and Expand Resources for the Unhoused, recognizing housing as a human right and using Housing First approaches; and (5) Promote Neighborhood Stability and Health. Reflecting ABAG's 6th-cycle RHNA, Oakland must plan for 26,251 new units: 6,511 below 50% AMI, 3,750 at 50-80% AMI, 4,457 at 80-120% AMI, and 11,533 above 120% AMI.

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• Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE) — Transportation/Circulation (adopted 1998; partially updated 9/2023) → Circulation & Mobility 1998 (updated 2023-09)

  Oakland's circulation policies are contained in the Land Use and Transportation Element (LUTE, adopted 1998, partially updated September 2023); Oakland names its Circulation Element the Transportation Element. Transportation policies direct truck services to areas adjacent to freeways and near the seaport and airport (T1.5), designate truck routes on arterial streets away from residential neighborhoods (T1.6), route new freeway construction through land uses that can tolerate noise impacts (T1.7), and re-route and enforce truck routes away from neighborhoods (T1.8). Collector streets are to be posted at the lowest possible speed, usually 25 mph (T6.1); reconstruction of the I-880 freeway after a major disaster should be below ground in the downtown/Jack London Square area (T6.4); and airport-adjacent development should conform to FAR Part 77 and Part 150 ALUC guidelines (W6.2). The 2019 Oakland Bike Plan and 2017 Pedestrian Plan also establish circulation policies.

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• Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element — Conservation (adopted 1996) → Conservation 1996

  Oakland covers the Conservation topic within its combined Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element, adopted 1996. The conservation provisions describe the city's natural resources and establish goals and policies to preserve, enhance, and develop them. Objective OS-1 directs the City to conserve and appropriately manage undeveloped areas with high ecological value, scenic value, or natural hazards that preclude safe development. Objective OS-8 (Creek Conservation) seeks to conserve open space along Oakland's creeks, restoring the creeks where feasible and enhancing creek access on public lands. Policy OS-3.6 maintains open space buffers along freeways to absorb noise and emissions, with Action OS-3.6.1 requiring retention of landscape screening adjacent to Highways 13, 580 (east of Grand), and 24, and Action OS-3.6.3 encouraging additional Caltrans landscaping along I-880.

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• Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element — Open Space & Recreation (adopted 1996) → Open Space 1996

  Oakland's open space and recreation policies are in the combined Open Space, Conservation and Recreation (OSCAR) Element, adopted 1996. It identifies valuable undeveloped land or water designated as open space and creates a long-term plan to preserve it. Policy OS-2.1 directs the City to manage urban parks to protect and enhance their open space character while accommodating a wide range of outdoor recreational activities. Policy OS-5.1 prioritizes trail connections between the flatlands and the hill and shoreline parks, lateral connections between hill-area parks, and waterfront trails, with Action OS-5.1.5 encouraging trail projects in Claremont, Caldecott, Shepherd, and Beaconsfield canyons and Knowland Park. Policy OS-5.3 sets trail design principles minimizing environmental impacts, considering neighbor privacy, involving local community, and serving pedestrians, bicycles, and wheelchairs. Objective OS-8 conserves open space along creeks.

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• City of Oakland Noise Element (adopted 2005) → Noise 2005

  Oakland's Noise Element (adopted 2005) sets two goals: to protect quality of life and the physical and mental well-being of residents by reducing community exposure to noise, and to safeguard economic welfare by mitigating noise incompatibilities among commercial, industrial, and residential land uses. Policy 1 ensures development compatibility with neighboring uses and the surrounding noise environment, applying a noise-land use compatibility matrix (Figure 6) and noise contour maps. Policy 2 controls noise generation from stationary and mobile sources via the nuisance noise ordinance. Policy 3 minimizes noise received by residents, enforcing California Noise Insulation Standards in new multi-unit buildings and demanding Caltrans sound barriers for new or widened roadways. An ambient level of 60 dB is the threshold of a normally acceptable environment for residences (45 dB interior plus 15 dB mitigation); the matrix ranges from Normally Acceptable to Clearly Unacceptable.

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• Oakland Safety Element, Adopted 9/26/23 (89907 C.M.S.) → Safety 2023-09-26

  The Safety Element Update (adopted by City Council 9/26/2023, Res. 89907 C.M.S.) organizes eight goals. SAF-1 minimizes risk to life and property from seismic and geologic hazards, requiring site-specific geologic reports in the Hayward Fault zone and restricting development within 50 feet of the fault trace (SAF-A.1). SAF-2 proactively prevents urban fires and wildfire exposure, requiring a Fire Protection Plan for new development in the Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (SAF-2.3) and reducing densities by slope tiers (15-30% and over 30% slope) in hillside areas (SAF-2.4). SAF-3 protects against flooding, including reestablishing NFIP compliance. SAF-4 plans for sea level rise impacts. SAF-5 minimizes hazardous-materials risks. SAF-6 protects against airport land use hazards. SAF-7 fosters feelings of safety in neighborhoods. SAF-8 maintains an emergency preparedness and response network.

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• Oakland Environmental Justice (EJ) Element, Adopted 9/26/23 → Environmental Justice 2023-09-26

  Oakland's first Environmental Justice Element (adopted by City Council 9/26/2023) sets ten goals. EJ-1 reduces pollution, mitigates its impacts on existing sensitive land uses, and eliminates associated public health disparities, including reducing exposure to toxic air contaminants (EJ-1.1), buffering heavy industrial uses from residential areas and schools (EJ-1.3), and requiring MERV 16 air filtration in new buildings of four or more habitable floors (EJ-1.8). EJ-2 protects water supplies from contamination; EJ-3 prevents and cleans up illegal dumping; EJ-4 improves housing quality and habitability; EJ-5 supports a nutritious, affordable, culturally relevant food system; EJ-6 supports accessible community facilities; EJ-7 creates environments for physical activity with walkable, bikeable neighborhoods and access to green space; EJ-8 fosters civic engagement; EJ-9 expands economic development and income equality; and EJ-10 prioritizes improvements that meet the needs of Environmental Justice Communities.

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Element summaries are generated from the official document text and held unless every fact is grounded in the source. Links open the jurisdiction's own published documents.