Oakland Approves California College of Arts Campus Redevelopment Masterplan

Date Posted: 12.17.2024

Oakland’s City Council has approved plans for the mixed-use redevelopment of the former California College of the Arts (CCA) campus at 5200 Broadway in Rockridge. The proposal reimagines the four-acre site as a lively residential and commercial hub, including 448 mixed-income housing units in two new buildings with retail on the ground floors, a new public park and plaza and the preservation of primary elements of the historic Treadwell Estate.

The design balances the need for housing with the creation of an amenity-rich community that is appropriate in scale and character at this visible intersection of Broadway and College. The new entitlement includes the rehabilitation of Macky Hall and Carriage House, repurposing two historic buildings for commercial and community use. Ground floor commercial space will help activate the previously vacant site and integrate the development with the existing, lively streetscape.

Portions of the Treadwell Estate landscaping will also be retained, such as the Broadway wall, gate and steps. Macky Lawn, previously the focus of the private estate and then the center of the CCA campus, will become public open space at the heart of a new residential precinct. Park plans include an adventure playground, a viewing deck, a central plaza, and areas for existing and new public art — providing a critically needed community amenity in a neighborhood with lots of families and very little open space.

Emerald Fund and Equity Community Builders are joint developers for the project and led the rezoning effort from institutional use to residential. Mithun is the architect, working with Site Lab, responsible for Design Guidelines. CMG is the landscape architect and Knapp Architects is responsible for the historic architecture.