The unique project, which was built by homeless people for homeless people, faced years of delays and fees. Now the developer is urging Oakland to simplify its building and permitting process.
OAKLAND — After more than a decade of work, hundreds of thousands of dollars raised and multiple city permitting hurdles jumped, a housing development built by homeless people for homeless people is ready to accept new residents.
“Today we’re praying and celebrating, and we’re also demanding that they don’t pull this on other people,” said Poor Magazine co-founder Lisa Gray-Garcia.The saga started in 2011 when Gray-Garcia and her team scraped together $89,000 to buy a run-down duplex. The nonprofit, which runs a magazine, radio station, school and aid organization, mostly relies on donations fromThey fixed up the building and Gray-Garcia and her son, who had been homeless, moved in along with several other residents.
The latest hurdle was a $40,000 impact fee, ironically, the bulk of which would go toward helping the city build affordable housing.in March — even barging into the lobby of the city’s building and planning department — filled out the 40-page fee waiver application and reached out to local officials for help. Vice Mayor Rebecca Kaplan and Councilmember Carroll Fife gave their support, Gray-Garcia said.
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