Time to Roll Up the Tents...

It's time to roll up the tents and move on to other endeavors. After much thought and deliberation, We Fight Blight has decided to shut down its blog...

For the past several years we have dedicated a significant amount of time to fighting blight in North Oakland and South Berkeley and empowering residents with the tools and information to address blight on their street, block or in their neighborhood. We have worked with the City of Oakland to remove 127 abandoned and inoperable vehicles, clean up 87 blighted houses and commercial sites, and publicize the tough battle over the Nic Nak Liquor Store. With 117 postings, our stories covered many topics including litter, drug houses, potholes, graffiti, liquor stores, crime, community murals, Caltrans' right-of-way, BART, street trees, and the mismanagement of Oakland Public Works. Perhaps no other story garnered so many comments, interest and controversy as did the fight against the Nic Nak liquor store. Change is difficult and sometimes tumultuous.

We operated on the basis of the "broken window theory" and attempted to fight crime by reducing and eliminating blight. Along the way, we encountered many articulate and passionate members of the community who are striving to make Oakland safer for all residents.

Oakland has a tremendous amount of potential that is being realized in fits and starts. North Oakland and South Berkeley are seeing significant rejuvenation and reinvestment fueled by demographic and socio-economic changes, as well as location. These trends will only continue into the foreseeable future. We have been pleased to report on these trends in the 94609/94608/94703 zip codes, which we affectionately term the "donut hole".

In fighting blight, we could not avoid weighing in on larger political issues--such as the City's budget morass and the decided lack of support for the Oakland Police Department. As we have consistently noted, the City of Oakland cannot be all things to all people. Rather, the City must focus only on core services--police, fire, infrastructure and economic development. If the City wishes to reduce the reality and perception of crime and provide fuel for economic growth and revitalizing Oakland, it must provide far more police and work far more diligently to address the high cost of blight. It must also address the problems of transparency and accountability among its elected Officials and City staff.

For those who write blogs, you know the power of the Internet and the ability to make your voice heard on issues that you are passionate about. But you also know this is really hard work and it takes a lot of time and effort. We respect those, such as V. Smoothe at A Better Oakland, who have been at it a long time and continue to put out insightful, relevant, and uniquely Oakland stories. Thank you.

While this is goodbye, it is not farewell. Those of us who have labored over the We Fight Blight Blog will continue to be invested in making our communities safer and more livable for everyone.

Thank you all for indulging us and listening to our stories.

Is South Berkeley the New Temescal?

 

Historic Lorin District

 Many of you may remember a day when Temescal was not the bustling, lively, regional destination that it has become. There was a time when Temescal was populated with fast food restaurants, liquor stores, mini-marts, check cashing outlets, pawn shops, seedy bars, vacant store fronts and even a porn theater. Street crime and hustling was commonplace. Back then the common wisdom in real estate circles was that you did not buy below 51st Street.

All of that changed during the dot.com boom. And it changed dramatically. Those priced out of the hot San Francisco market decided to head East to Temescal. Here, they found a relatively under priced neighborhood at the foot of Rockridge and Piedmont Avenue with a BART station and easy accessibility to the City.  With charming turn of the century craftsman bungalows and colonial revivals, and location, one wonders what took Temescal so long to explode.

Sweet Adeline Bakery

With the infusion of young and hip residents came a significant change to the commercial district along Telegraph Avenue. One of the first to recognize the attendant opportunities along Telegraph was Thomas Schnetz and Dona Savitsky who opened Dona Tomas. They were truly urban pioneers. Setting up where others only saw neglect and disrepair, they became the first in a plethora of trendy restaurants to settle in and create a truly dynamic and energetic commercial district. Now Temescal is a regional food destination with Dona Tomas, Pizzaiola, Bake Sale Betty, Burma Superstar, Barlata, the Mixing Bowl, Aunt Mary's Cafe, Marc 49, LaneSplitter, SR 24, Genova Delicatessen, and Scream Sorbet among others.

 

So, it is not surprising that Tom Schnetz of Dona Tomas has opened up Addies Pizza in South Berkeley with Jennifer Miller of Sweet Adeline. For south Berkeley, Sweet Adeline was the true urban pioneer and Jennifer Miller has long recognized the importance of neighborhood serving businesses that act as gathering places for the community. Sweet Adeline has indeed softened the hard edge of the the Historic Lorin District. Most weekends you can see young parents with kids in tow and urban hipsters noshing on the delectable sweets Jennifer and her crew dishes out.

As we have previously reported, the 94608/94609/94703 zip codes are hot and there have been significant socio-economic changes in the North Oakland and South Berkeley neighborhoods surrounding the South Berkeley commercial strip, known as the Historic Lorin District. Like Temescal in the early 2000s, young, hip residents, with income are finding relative bargains in this centrally located and transit rich area. With an infusion of new residents, the Historic Lorin District is now seeing new commercial ventures. The opening of Addies Pizza is highly symbolic of that change given Tom Schnetz' prescient role in revitalizing Temescal.

With wide sidewalks, historic storefronts, and plenty of driveby traffic, the Historic Lorin District is ripe with opportunity. Like Temescal it has seen its share of a troubled past, with crime, drug dealing, liquor stores, and fast food outlets. However, it is now surrounded by a rapidly changing area in high demand by young, hip consumers and families demanding craftsman bungalows and colonial revivals with high walkability scores. At the cross-roads of Adeline/Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Alcatraz, the Historic Lorin District has the Ashby BART station, AC Transit and major connections to Highways 24 and 80. Unlike Temescal, South Berkeley has an abundance of parking. All roads lead to the Historic Lorin District.

In addition to Sweet Adeline and Addies Pizza, the Other Change of Hobbit Bookstore has just relocated to South Berkeley, a new record store, Ear Peace, is in the process of improving its space, and the Golden Gate School of Feng Shui has set recently set up shop on Adeline Street. The larger South Berkeley area has the Ashby Arts District with the Shotgun Player's Ashby Stage, La Pena, the Starry Plough and the Black Repertory Theater, as well as Emilias Pizzeria, Flacos Tacos, Casa Vino, and numerous antique stores. While the neighborhood defining Nomad Cafe has changed ownership, it still provides an important neighborhood gathering place for the East Lorin Neighborhood. Nick's Lounge is currently for sale and would be a great opportunity to refashion as a hipster lounge. You can see the change. Existing businesses are taking the initiative to improve their facades, BART has created a new kiss and ride drop off zone along Adeline, and the Ed Roberts Campus has just opened.

Neighborhood and community groups are strong and organized as evidenced by the East Lorin Neighborhood Association and the Shattuck Crime Prevention Council's recent efforts to prevent more liquor stores. The Lorin Neighborhood Association has rallied to keep south Berkeley clean and free of litter, graffiti and blight and brightening it up with new landscaping. And the Halcyon Neighborhood Association has long been active in South Berkeley. The City of Berkeley also recently installed crosswalk signals to make the Lorin District more pedestrian friendly.

South Berkeley's time has indeed come.

Donuts in the North Oakland Donut Hole

We have often reported on the baja 94609/94608/94703 zip codes as up and coming areas with good bones, great housing stock, easy access to transportation and proximity to a lot of great restaurants.

Now the area we refer to as the donut hole has gotten a lot better.

The donut farm opened up about six months ago at 6037 San Pablo Avenue in a small storefront in the Golden Gate Neighborhood.

The donut farm serves up yummy vegan donuts. For those of you who are thinking vegan donuts--no way--yes way. They really are yummy. You need to find your way to the donut farm. It is hard to miss so keep your eye out. Candy cap mushrooms that taste like maple syrup, orange, and chocolate donuts...yummy.

The Golden Gate Neighborhood is seeing a renaissance of sorts. The ever changing Emeryville is pushing its economic tentacles east and the stock of great housing in the neighborhood along with interesting, yet, affordable commercial spaces along San Pablo Avenue are attracting new uses and new residents. The donut farm is a great addition to a great neighborhood!

North Oakland Under Attack by Taggers

North Oakland appears to be under attack by taggers. Telegraph Avenue, Shattuck Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Way have recently seen a significant spike in graffiti. Graffiti is a way for gang bangers and others to mark their territory--not unlike a dog pissing on a tree. If your property is tagged, please make an effort to remove the graffiti as soon as possible. Graffiti attracts graffiti. If you see graffiti on private or public property please use the links on our blog to report it to the City of Oakland. CEDA can address graffiti on private property as a violation of the City Blight Ordinance and Public Works can remove graffiti from public right of ways, telephone poles, utility cabinets and other street furniture.

North Oakland and South Berkeley Continue to Be Hot Real Estate Markets

North Oakland and South Berkeley have a distinct advantage when it comes to location. From a transit perspective, they benefit from two BART stations, an abundance of AC Transit service along Shattuck, Telegraph and San Pablo and multiple access points to freeways leading to essentially every major destination point in the Bay Area. Culturally and intellectually, the area benefits from the vibrancy of  UC Berkeley, the College of Arts and Crafts, the Expression College of Digital Arts in Emeryville and the new Ed Roberts Campus in South Berkeley. Some of the best and most walkable neighborhood serving commercial districts in all of the Bay Area are within walking and biking distance of North Oakland and South Berkeley including Rockridge, Temescal, Piedmont, Telegraph Avenue and the Gourmet Ghetto. There are an endless list of excellent restaurants nearby including Oliveto's, Bistro 5, A Cote, Pizzaiolo, Chez Panisse, and Commis, not to mention an abundance of take away food options at Berkeley Bowl, Whole Foods, Market Hall, Trader Joe's and several farmer's markets. Neighborhood institutions such as La Pena, the Starry Plough, Lois the Pie Queen, the White Horse Bar, the Black Repertory Theater, and the Ashby Stage Theater provide ample opportunities for entertainment and relaxation. Pixar, UC Berkeley and the biotech industries in Emeryville and West Berkeley provide significant local job opportunities.

Given the diversity in North Oakland and South Berkeley, and the fact they are sandwiched between Rockridge, Temescal, Emeryville and Downtown Berkeley, all very desirable areas, it is no wonder North Oakland and South Berkeley are seeing significant investment, new land uses and demographic changes despite the so called "great recession".

Portions of the 94609, 94608 and 94703 zip codes have home prices that are bargains compared to surrounding areas, hovering in the low to mid $300,000. Like many parts of Oakland, there have been a significant number of foreclosures here. However, such properties in these areas are sold quickly to professionals, young families and hipsters seeking their first home purchase, or to contractors who are completely remodeling and flipping. The 94608 zip code was considered to be one of the hottest in the country at one point last year.

 

Because of the strict lending requirements, only those who have steady employment, income and reserves in the bank are able to purchase. These tend to be professionals who are rapidly changing the demographics of what once were predominantly working class neighborhoods.

North Oakland and South Berkeley provide potential opportunities for generating sweat equity--something that seems unheard of in this market--for those willing to find the bargain and make the investment. As well, there are opportunities to purchase completely remodeled homes for less than $450,000. Many realtors are predicting that the 94609, 94608 and 94703 zip codes will continue to be hot in 2011 and into the foreseeable future primarily because of their location.

Seeing the value of location, many long-term residents are also investing in new paint, roofing, foundations and landscaping, or are adding square footage via additions or lifts. Just drive through the 94609, 94608 and 94703 zip codes and you can see the change happening.

In essence, these areas are gentrifying because investors are seeing market opportunities and buyers are seeing value based on location. With gentrification and changes in the socio-economic base of these neighborhoods, new businesses such as Addie's Pizza Pie, the Actual Cafe, the Sacred Wheel, Tribu Cafe, Earthly Coffee and Tea, and Emilia's Pizzeria are following the income and opening up to respond to consumer demand.

However, with socio-economic changes also come potential conflict. The fight over the Nic Nak Liquors was a bruising battle, reflecting changes in community values and an unwillingness of many residents to support certain land uses they believed to be detrimental to their quality of life. Charges of racism flew fast and furious, as well as accusations that newcomers were trying to take away land use rights of long-standing property owners.

However, both newcomers and old timers do agree on one thing--an intolerance towards crime, gangs and blight. The work of the Shattuck Crime Prevention Council, spearheaded by Don Link, has been instrumental in tackling problem properties, addressing crime hotspots, and improving the quality of life in North Oakland. Their crime fighting efforts have been so successful that portions of south Berkeley have joined their efforts and have encouraged the new Berkeley Police Chief to seriously consider community policing in Berkeley.

Changes to North Oakland and South Berkeley neighborhoods, which are happening at both micro and macro levels, are now aggregating to such a point that a trend towards gentrification is evident. Some believe these changes are intentionally targeted at the less fortunate or those of color. On the contrary, these changes to the very fabric of these North Oakland and South Berkeley neighborhoods are a result of many individual economic and market decisions, the direction of which is not controlled by any one person, group, organization or governmental body. In fact, we would argue that these changes are happening in spite of the City of Oakland or the City of Berkeley who have not invested much in infrastructure or community needs. These changes are the cumulative result of each of us making our own individual decisions as to where and how to invest. But, there is no doubt such economic changes are both good and bad depending upon which side of the fence you sit and where your economic interests lie.

Some do not want to see such changes and view them as detrimental to diversity and to those who might be priced out of the neighborhoods. But change is inevitable. The challenge is to embrace change, while still maintaining the essential diversity that attracts new investment to these areas. The City of Oakland needs new investment both in its housing stock and in commercial areas. Such investment and revitalization generates new taxes that support important public services and improves our quality of life. The history of cities is one of change and prosperity, decline and decay, boom and bust. North Oakland and South Berkeley's time has come, again. Get ready. Change is happening...