Alameda County approves $10 transfer of East Oakland lot to Black Cultural Zone for affordable housing

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors on July 14 authorized a Chapter 8 transfer of tax-defaulted property at 8215 MacArthur Boulevard in East Oakland to the Black Cultural Zone Development Corporation for a purchase price of $10. Treasurer-Tax Collector Henry Levy and staff presented the hearing materials and said the appraised value of the vacant lot is $900,000 while the tax redemption value on county records exceeds $1.7 million.

"The appraised value of the property is $900,000," county staff said, and under AB 418 the board must find the tax-sale value is less than the amount necessary to redeem the property before approving a transfer. Casey Farmer, a staff member in the treasurer's office, explained the Chapter 8 process and said the transfer is intended to incentivize affordable-housing development on a long-abandoned parcel in a highly disadvantaged neighborhood.

Supervisor Nate Miley, who moved the motion to adopt the required findings and authorize the sale by agreement, said the action sets a model to repurpose other tax-defaulted lots for affordable housing. Regina Davis read a statement from Carolyn Johnson, CEO of Black Cultural Zone Development Corporation, thanking the treasurer and the board and describing plans for immediate community programming and eventual housing construction.

The board voted unanimously — Supervisors Marquez, Tam, Miley, Fortunato Bass and President Halbert — to approve the transfer and authorize the president of the board to execute the sale agreement. County staff said they are reviewing a pipeline of about 10 additional properties concentrated in East and West Oakland that may qualify for similar transfers, and noted environmental assessments and brownfields work will be needed on some lots.

The sale is subject to verification by the state controller’s office under the transfer process described by staff and to the conditions in the executed agreement. The county recorded the APN in the board motion and set the purchase price at $10.