9 abandoned Oakland properties could become affordable housing

Last week, county officials approved the $10 sale of an abandoned East Oakland property to the Black Cultural Zone to build affordable housing on it.

The overgrown lot on MacArthur Boulevard had racked up years of unpaid taxes, fines, and fees that exceeded the value of the land itself. Unable to find a buyer at auctions, the county tax collector employed a rarely used tool called a Chapter 8 tax sale. With this tool, the county can essentially give away tax-defaulted properties to organizations that will use them for the public benefit. 

Henry Levy, the county’s treasurer and tax collector, told the Board of Supervisors last week that his office had identified nine other vacant Oakland properties eligible for this sort of transfer. A city report reveals which properties the government is eyeing. 

On Tuesday, the Oakland City Council took the first step in removing liens and fines on these properties to help prepare them for tax sales. We’re listing the locations here, so you can see whether your pesky neighborhood vacant lot is on the table.

The city says these lots — mostly small, undeveloped properties clustered in West Oakland and East Oakland — are “ideal for infill affordable housing.”

804 27th St.

1839 Foothill Blvd.

905 Willow St.

925 Wood St.

1090 71st Ave.

829-841 31st St.

2450-2456 90th Ave.

7951 MacArthur Blvd.

7963 MacArthur Blvd.

The largest, at 21,000 square feet, is the collection of three parcels at 829-841 31st St. These three consecutive empty lots are located in the middle of a residential block in the Hoover-Foster neighborhood.

The smallest, at 3,146 square feet, is 925 Wood St., a long, narrow lot nestled between two Victorians.

The county and city secured a grant from the federal government to evaluate these properties and more for environmental contamination.

In 2018, Oakland voters passed a vacant property tax, allowing the city to collect $6,000 per year from owners of undeveloped land and empty buildings. A recent audit found that the tax is generating millions in revenue, but it’s unclear whether it’s living up to its intention of dissuading vacancies.

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