Source: San Francisco Business Times
By: Roland Yi
Date: June 18, 2015
The Oakland City Council voted to approve a market-rate tower near Lake Merritt on Wednesday night after the developer agreed to pay $8 million for affordable housing on a separate site, despite community opposition and a potential legal challenge.
Councilwoman Rebecca Kaplan was absent from the vote. Councilman Dan Kalb abstained from voting, citing concerns over the legality of the sale, which may violate the state’s Surplus Lands Act, which requires prioritizing affordable housing on public sites. The non-profit law firm Public Advocates has claimed that the sale is illegal, and the dispute could open the city to lawsuits that would delay or block the project.
