Oakland Proposal Expands to 20-Story, 334-Unit Affordable Housing Project

oWow, an Oakland-based developer that also serves as project architect, has filed a revised proposal for 3403 Piedmont Avenue that substantially expands the scheme. The application now calls for 334 dwelling units, combining a new 20-story affordable housing tower with the residential conversion of the adjacent Saw Mill Furniture Building. Four units would be reserved for on-site property managers.

The site, a surface parking lot of roughly 0.4 acres on a triangular block bounded by Broadway, Piedmont Avenue and I-580, sits at a prominent intersection. The project would provide parking for 98 cars and about 200 bicycle spaces. The filing also proposes a lot merger, and historic review will be handled separately.

The design has grown considerably. Earlier plans begun in 2022 proposed 73 units, later increased to 105 units in an eight-story complex. Unit sizes, amenities, estimated construction cost and timeline have not been disclosed. oWow's development director said the team is still refining details.

For developers and lenders, the key takeaway is that the scale jump would trigger a separate historic review and a lot merger, so entitlement timing and financing assumptions should account for both.