South Campus Moves Forward

On March 6, the School’s South Campus plan was recommended for approval in a hearing held by the City of Oakland’s Landmark Preservation Advisory Board (LPAB). The project will now advance to the city’s Planning Commission. 

The hearing focused on a specific aspect of the Final Environmental Impact Report conducted by the city for the South Campus: historical resources. Sarah Holliman, the School’s director of communications, says that this refers to certain historic buildings from the former Lincoln Child Center property, as well as their windows and ramps. 

At the hearing, 15 people spoke in favor of the South Campus plan, including board members, parents of current and former students, and neighbors. Two neighbors spoke out against the plan. According to Holliman, one neighbor generally opposed the plan being moved forward and the other expressed concern with the School’s treatment of historical resources in one building, including the renovation of existing windows and the “grading” of ramps.

Holliman says that the School has made many efforts to take into account neighbors’ feedback during the 11-year planning process, such as holding meetings, having one-on-one conversations, and building a website to communicate anything that could impact their living experience.

These efforts have paid off. At the hearing, the four out of six LPAB board members who were present unanimously moved to push the plan through to the Planning Commission on April 19. However, in addition to considering the windows and grading of the ramps, the board asked that the School provide the original historical drawings of the building in question. Holliman agrees that honoring the site’s history is important: “For over 100 years, that property has been used in service of children…We hope to renovate [the buildings] in such a way that reflects the character of the original buildings, and also brings them up to today’s standards.”

While LPAB support was important, the Oakland City Planning Commission approval is pivotal, as the meeting will end with a final vote on whether to allow the School to break ground. Holliman says that “if they approve the project, then construction can start as soon as this summer.”