LAKE MERRITT (CHINATOWN) BART DEVELOPMENT

In October 2024, EBALDC broke ground on a 96-unit, permanently affordable senior housing development in Chinatown—a key Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project. This redevelopment is done in partnership with Strada Investment Group and the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART).

As part of this effort, the community is advocating for renaming Lake Merritt BART Station to Oakland Chinatown BART Station. Thanks to testimony and support from residents, partners, and leaders in fall of 2024, BART officials tentatively approved this change in December 2024.

Project Timeline

  • Phase 1 (Buildings A & B)
    • Mid 2022 Project Entitlements
    • Mid 2024 Start Construction
    • Late 2026 Finish Construction
  • Phase 2 (Buildings C & D)
    • Mid 2026 Project Entitlements
    • Mid 2027 Start Construction
    • Late 2028 Finish Construction

Community Engagement

Civic Design Studio and its art squad of 40+ Oakland youth, in collaboration with ABG Art Group & Twin Walls Mural Company, is leading the creation of a permanent public art installation at Chinatown BART, aligned with EBALDC’s broader development efforts.

Alongside the permanent artwork (see below), there will be a mural inspired by poems on Rootedness – this is where we need YOUR help. Please fill out the feedback survey!

  • Civic Design Studio provides an artist apprenticeship pathway from high school to professional creative careers. Their Art Squad leaders serve as designers and facilitators, collaborating with artists, industry professionals, and community leaders to create impactful public art.
  • ABG Art Group, an Oakland-based creative agency, specializes in contemporary public art production, consulting, and connecting communities with diverse artists.
  • Twin Walls Elaine Chu and Marina Perez- Wong are the dynamic duo behind the mural arts collaboration Twin Walls Mural Company. They believe in the power of visual narratives to capture and reflect a community’s history, struggles, dreams and intentions.

The project’s community benefits and amenities include:

  • Over 40% of approximately 560 residential units will be affordable and below market-rate
  • Approximately 550,000 sq ft of commercial space, 20% will be below market-rate
  • Extensive public open space and ground floor retail in Phase I
  • Childcare center planned for Phase II

Project History

In 2009, Asian Health Services and the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce partnered to host a series of community design charrettes for community stakeholders, and BART and the City of Oakland commenced their Lake Merritt BART Station Area Plan process. These multi-year processes generated a tremendous amount of public engagement and new ideas about what this area of Chinatown should grow into over the next generation.

In 2018, BART released a Request for Proposals for the development of two parcels at the Lake Merritt BART Station. EBALDC and Strada’s response was heavily inspired by the ideas and desires that neighborhood residents, businesses, cultural groups, and nonprofits had expressed during the previous decade of community planning.

In 2019 and 2020, EBALDC and partners led a series of public engagements to shape aspects of the project design.

  • Families and stakeholders voted on public space amenities at Lincoln Summer Nights 2019, a regular festival at Lincoln Square Park.
  • In January 2020, more than 50 attendees who shop, live, own businesses, go to school, or commute through Chinatown attended an in-person event to influence project design. Stakeholders were excited to see the project realized, especially for its ability to bring affordable spaces, culture-building businesses and multigenerational programming, and emphasized a need for pedestrian safety in public spaces.
  • In June 2020, EBALDC held a virtual focus group with small local business stakeholders to inform layout and operation of ground floor commercial spaces and adjacent public space, known as the paseo. Participants advised the team to create small, turnkey retail and street food spaces and invest in outdoor amenities and placemaking to for customers. They also advised on operations and technical design.
  • In October 2020, a virtual workshop collected feedback on elements of the BART station access plan and the design of the paseo. Key takeaways were safety, transit access, and placemaking.
  • In mid-2021, the project expects to host a series of additional community design workshops on building design, retail, and public placemaking elements.

To learn more about the history of the project, click here.

December 18, 2025: We joined community members feedback session to discuss and support the renaming of the Lake Merritt BART station to the Oakland Chinatown BART station. This in-person session is an opportunity for community members, neighbors, merchants, artists, and partners to share input and help guide this important effort.

Our Team

PUBLIC AGENCY PARTNER

Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART)

JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS

    

East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) & Strada Investment Group

DESIGN TEAM

       

Pyatok Architects, SCB Architects, EinwillerKuehl Landscape Architecture

How to Apply to EBALDC Affordable Housing: HOW TO APPLY – EBALDC | EBALDC 

Contact Us

If you are interested in staying engaged, attending future community design meetings, advocating for the project, or learning more about the project, please email us at chinatownbart@ebaldc.org.