OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA — Drivers who use one popular East Bay BART station will soon have far fewer places to leave their cars.
Beginning September 14, approximately 240 of the station’s 440 parking spaces will be removed as construction starts on a major housing development, according to BART.
The reduction will leave just 200 first-come, first-served daily parking spaces, including 11 accessible spaces. In other words, more than half of the station’s current parking supply is about to disappear.
The station is West Oakland BART Station, and it’s about to see these major changes.
Reserved parking at West Oakland was already eliminated earlier this year as BART prepared for the construction work.
The change could be especially noticeable at West Oakland because the station has long attracted commuters who drive from other parts of the East Bay before taking a short BART ride through the Transbay Tube into San Francisco.
Some people from the 925 opt to drive through the tunnel and park at West Oakland, rather than dealing with parking in the City, for example.
BART is encouraging riders who normally park at West Oakland to arrive earlier, use a station closer to home or consider another station with available parking. The agency specifically identified Fruitvale, approximately five miles away, as one alternative.
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Housing Is Replacing Part of the Parking Lot
The spaces are being removed to make room for the first phase of Mandela Station, a long-planned transit-oriented development on BART-owned property.
Construction is beginning with a 240-unit affordable housing building on the southwest portion of the station site.
The full Mandela Station plan calls for as many as 762 homes, including both affordable and market-rate units. Plans also include approximately 53,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 300,000 square feet of office space, a new BART plaza and improved walking and bicycle connections.
The broader development would occupy land on both sides of the station.
BART said the development is being financed by the private development team rather than the transit agency. BART will remain the landowner and serve as the property’s long-term ground lessor, allowing the project to generate lease revenue for the agency.
Earlier information released by BART indicated that approximately 200 parking spaces affected by construction would be permanently removed. The San Francisco Chronicle previously reported that a later phase of the development could eventually leave only 42 spaces in the Chester Street lot, although that phase remained unfunded and did not have a projected construction date.
Other Station Access Changes Are Coming
The construction will affect more than parking.
Vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle circulation will remain open on the east and north sides of the station, but access south of the station entrance will be restricted.
Regular passenger pick-up and drop-off will move to southbound Chester Street at Seventh Street and westbound Seventh Street at Center Street. Accessible pick-up and drop-off will remain in front of the station.
Passengers using Uber, Lyft or another ride-hailing service will need to use the new regular pick-up locations.
Bicycle parking previously located on the Fifth Street side of the station has been moved to the Seventh Street side. BART will provide 80 bicycle-locker spaces and another 32 rack spaces near the station entrance.
Several AC Transit routes have also been moved to on-street stops along Seventh Street and Mandela Parkway. The Emery Go-Round shuttle location will not change.
The parking reduction and other station-access changes take effect September 14.
