South Campus Expansion

On September 19th, Oakland City Council approved the School’s proposed South Campus Expansion in a unanimous eight to zero vote after debating the practicalities of the project during a lengthy meeting at the Council Chambers. This approval will allow the School to finally begin construction on the project after nearly a decade of planning.

The expansion project involves eight acres of land on the south side of Lincoln Avenue which will allow a larger student enrollment, create access to programming, and encourage more hands-on activities. The South Campus will consist of a new performing arts center, new buildings for classrooms, as well as an underground pedestrian tunnel connecting the two sides of campus. 

The first steps towards the School’s expansion is breaking ground, which will take place on October 14, which is a part of the overall plan that has been communicated with neighbors, contractors, and the construction company. 

The idea of expansion has been discussed time and time again in a lengthy debate, but ultimately after years of contentious negotiation with opposing neighbors, the School finally has reached its objective. 

Sarah Holliman (she/her), the director of marketing and communications at the School, indicates her appreciation by the number of students, alumni, and past parents that spoke up in support during the meeting on September 19. Holliman comments, “There are a few neighbors who are opposing this but the greater part of the community is really in support of what the school is doing.”

Though the groundbreaking phase will not affect traffic much, it will affect parking: Lot F was closed at the beginning of the year to allow staff parking, and agreements were made with the Greek and Mormon temples for parking for the students; guests of the School are welcome to park as well. Around 65% of students take public transportation.

Several neighbors opposed the expansion out of concern for the School’s  evacuation procedures, arguing that the emergency plan is not efficient enough in the case of evacuating in a wildfire or other types of emergencies. This concern stems from the fire of Oakland hills in 1991 that affected  many neighborhoods in the community. For over one quarter of their speaking time, these neighbors showed a clip of the wild fires during the hearing.

Yet, according to Holliman, the School does have a solid evacuation plan which was written and submitted a draft to the city of Oakland. Furthermore, the South Campus will provide neighbors with alternative routes through accessing our campus in case of an emergency.

An additional complaint centers around the amount of students that South Campus would allow us to enroll. According to Holliman, the School completes a loop driveway around the outside of the campus which will obtain permission to increase enrollment and alleviate traffic congestion by allowing drop off and pick up on the South Campus.

Gabriel Reader, junior, one of several student speakers comments, “I feel a deep connection with Head Royce because of the friends, teachers, and faculty. I believe Head Royce expansion is necessary for bettering the experience of students here.”

Holiman says the total amount of predicted student enrollment will grow to 1250 within the next 20 years with a 1-2% increase of students annually. Faculty will grow in proportion to the student body, and the School will still be able to prioritize small classroom spaces. The amount of scholarships will increase, providing more access to students from different financial backgrounds.