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Agenda Item
5 26-0523 Subject: Purchase Of Real Property At 3105 San Pablo Ave For A Hoover Library
From: Oakland Public Library And Councilmember Fife
Recommendation: Adopt An Ordinance: (1) Authorizing The City Administrator To Negotiate And Execute A Purchase And Sale Agreement With 3105 San Pablo, LLC To Acquire The Improved Real Property Located At 3105 San Pablo Avenue In Oakland, California, For $3,495,000 And Related Due Diligence And Closing Costs, For Redevelopment As A Hoover Branch Library; And
(2) Reallocating $242,000 Of Measure Kk Funds For The Property Acquisition; And
(3) Adopting California Environmental Quality Act Findings
I write as an Oakland resident to urge your support for the proposed acquisition of 3105 San Pablo Avenue for redevelopment as a new Hoover Branch Library.
This proposal represents a long-overdue investment in a community that has experienced systemic disinvestment and redlining, including the loss of its previous library. Advancing this project is a meaningful step toward restoring equitable access to public infrastructure.
The City’s feasibility study, grounded in extensive community engagement, identified this site as the top choice. Its central location, visibility, and accessibility make it well-suited to serve as a vibrant, community-centered library. The adaptive reuse approach also offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible path forward, significantly reducing construction costs and carbon impact compared to new construction.
Libraries are essential civic spaces. A new Hoover branch would provide access to books, technology, workforce resources, and safe gathering space, while also creating opportunities for co-located services and community programming.
This action builds on years of community advocacy and prior City commitments that identified library investment as a priority. It is critical to maintain that momentum.
I respectfully urge you to approve the acquisition and take this important step toward delivering a long-promised library to the Hoover-Foster community.
My name is Duane Nelson and I'm a District 3, West Oakland resident, and member of West Oakland Neighbors (WON). I am here to support this ordinance and urge its immediate passage. This community has been waiting since 1981—nearly 50 years—for the city to return the library that was stolen. For generations, citizens have had to travel significant distances just to find a quiet place to study—or worse, go without a library at all.
The neglect of this area was intentional. In 1936, a city librarian actually had the temerity to write that this was 'not a reading neighborhood' to justify underfunding this branch. I am here as part of the West Oakland community to formally and publicly renounce that vicious lie. This community is a reading community; it is a learning community; and it has spent decades fighting for the basic right to information.
I support the purchase of 3105 San Pablo because it finally delivers the 15,000 square feet of space needed for the Makerspace and the Digital Literacy labs. However, let me be clear to the Council and the City Administrator: the city must secure and solve the parking situation—preferably during the 60-day due diligence period. A library that can't accessed is a promise only half-kept.
You have the site and the funds, please heal 50 years of neglect. In a time when libraries across the nation are being decimated, vote yes and show the world that West Oakland is exactly what it has always been: a place of knowledge and power. Thank you.
I am writing to urge you to support the full allocation of the Library Services Retention and
Enhancement Act (Measure C), including the additional $2.7 million from the General Purpose Fund
for Oakland Public Library (OPL) and this property purchase for a Hoover-Durant Branch. As a member of the Friends of the Hoover Durant Public Library (FOHDPL), I have seen how OPL provides essential services for children, youth,
families, and adults across Oakland, including residents who are not easily reached by other city
programs.
In 2026, when many Oakland residents are facing significant affordability challenges, stable library
funding is more important than ever. FOHDPL supports Oakland communities through our Street
Corner Libraries, and we regularly hear from residents about the difference library services
make in their daily lives. Reducing library services would disproportionately harm the people who rely
on these resources most.
I recognize the City faces real fiscal constraints. I respectfully ask that efforts to address the
budget not come at the expense of core public services that help Oakland residents learn, work, and
thrive. Thank you for your time and for your leadership.
My name is Kathryn Sterbenc. I'm Advocacy chair of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library, and former chair of the City’s Library Commission.
First, please support these capital appropriations for the Hoover-Durant neighborhood library. The purchase of 3105 San Pablo Ave for the Hoover-Durant Library will restore library services to West Oakland that are long overdue.
Second, please support the full allocation of the Library Services Retention and Enhancement Act, also known as Measure C – including the additional $2.7 million from the General Purpose Fund for OPL. As a supporter of the Friends of Hoover-Durant, I have seen how OPL provides essential services for children, youth, families, and adults across Oakland, including residents who are not easily reached by other city programs.
OPL is also a critical part of the City’s public safety strategy that is often overlooked.
In 2026, when many Oakland residents are facing significant affordability challenges, stable library funding is more important than ever. We regularly hear from residents about the difference library services make in their daily lives. Reducing library services would disproportionately harm the people who rely on these resources most.
In the face of fiscal constraints, please protect the core public services that help Oakland residents learn, work, and thrive. Thank you.
My name is Corey Hatcher, VP of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library. I enthusiastically support Agenda Item 5: the purchase of 3105 San Pablo Ave for the Hoover-Durant Library. I also urge you to support the full allocation of Measure C, including the $2.7M from the General Fund that makes projects like this possible.
The San Pablo site is the perfect choice. It was the community's top pick in the feasibility study and is the most cost-effective option, offering the largest space for the lowest cost. Its location is highly accessible, near bus routes, a school, and a Head Start.
This library will become a vital community hub for over 10,000 nearby residents, providing access to technology and resources. It will foster a more walkable, connected neighborhood.
Please approve this purchase and give the Hoover-Durant community the library it deserves. Thank you.
According to the Hoover Durant Library Feasibility Study Report, this was the most popular location for the library as voted by community members. There are accessible bus routes near the site, and to redevelop as a library would align with the site use history. It is within a mile from a Head Start location, and a half mile from the nearest school. There is also an existing bike line on the street.
An economic analysis in the feasibility study report also determines that this option, among other locations, would be "the lowest cost, the largest amount of library space, the best cost effectiveness, excellent visibility and good pedestrian access."
This library would impact over 10,000 Oakland residents who live within a 10-minute walk of the location. Libraries provide technological resources, access to credible information, and meeting places for children, parents, students, workers, and neighbors. I believe the greatest impact of this library would be its impact on the walkability of the area and by connecting residents.
As Jane Jacobs once wrote, urban neighborhoods can be safer when there are "eyes on the street." Giving people more reasons to walk in the neighborhood, to meet family and colleagues at the library, and to learn who lives around them will have a transformative impact on the area.
Dear Chair Fife and Committee Members,
I write as an Oakland resident to urge your support for the proposed acquisition of 3105 San Pablo Avenue for redevelopment as a new Hoover Branch Library.
This proposal represents a long-overdue investment in a community that has experienced systemic disinvestment and redlining, including the loss of its previous library. Advancing this project is a meaningful step toward restoring equitable access to public infrastructure.
The City’s feasibility study, grounded in extensive community engagement, identified this site as the top choice. Its central location, visibility, and accessibility make it well-suited to serve as a vibrant, community-centered library. The adaptive reuse approach also offers a cost-effective and environmentally responsible path forward, significantly reducing construction costs and carbon impact compared to new construction.
Libraries are essential civic spaces. A new Hoover branch would provide access to books, technology, workforce resources, and safe gathering space, while also creating opportunities for co-located services and community programming.
This action builds on years of community advocacy and prior City commitments that identified library investment as a priority. It is critical to maintain that momentum.
I respectfully urge you to approve the acquisition and take this important step toward delivering a long-promised library to the Hoover-Foster community.
Sincerely,
Wesley Saver
My name is Duane Nelson and I'm a District 3, West Oakland resident, and member of West Oakland Neighbors (WON). I am here to support this ordinance and urge its immediate passage. This community has been waiting since 1981—nearly 50 years—for the city to return the library that was stolen. For generations, citizens have had to travel significant distances just to find a quiet place to study—or worse, go without a library at all.
The neglect of this area was intentional. In 1936, a city librarian actually had the temerity to write that this was 'not a reading neighborhood' to justify underfunding this branch. I am here as part of the West Oakland community to formally and publicly renounce that vicious lie. This community is a reading community; it is a learning community; and it has spent decades fighting for the basic right to information.
I support the purchase of 3105 San Pablo because it finally delivers the 15,000 square feet of space needed for the Makerspace and the Digital Literacy labs. However, let me be clear to the Council and the City Administrator: the city must secure and solve the parking situation—preferably during the 60-day due diligence period. A library that can't accessed is a promise only half-kept.
You have the site and the funds, please heal 50 years of neglect. In a time when libraries across the nation are being decimated, vote yes and show the world that West Oakland is exactly what it has always been: a place of knowledge and power. Thank you.
My name is Hannah Germonprez.
I am writing to urge you to support the full allocation of the Library Services Retention and
Enhancement Act (Measure C), including the additional $2.7 million from the General Purpose Fund
for Oakland Public Library (OPL) and this property purchase for a Hoover-Durant Branch. As a member of the Friends of the Hoover Durant Public Library (FOHDPL), I have seen how OPL provides essential services for children, youth,
families, and adults across Oakland, including residents who are not easily reached by other city
programs.
In 2026, when many Oakland residents are facing significant affordability challenges, stable library
funding is more important than ever. FOHDPL supports Oakland communities through our Street
Corner Libraries, and we regularly hear from residents about the difference library services
make in their daily lives. Reducing library services would disproportionately harm the people who rely
on these resources most.
I recognize the City faces real fiscal constraints. I respectfully ask that efforts to address the
budget not come at the expense of core public services that help Oakland residents learn, work, and
thrive. Thank you for your time and for your leadership.
My name is Kathryn Sterbenc. I'm Advocacy chair of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library, and former chair of the City’s Library Commission.
First, please support these capital appropriations for the Hoover-Durant neighborhood library. The purchase of 3105 San Pablo Ave for the Hoover-Durant Library will restore library services to West Oakland that are long overdue.
Second, please support the full allocation of the Library Services Retention and Enhancement Act, also known as Measure C – including the additional $2.7 million from the General Purpose Fund for OPL. As a supporter of the Friends of Hoover-Durant, I have seen how OPL provides essential services for children, youth, families, and adults across Oakland, including residents who are not easily reached by other city programs.
OPL is also a critical part of the City’s public safety strategy that is often overlooked.
In 2026, when many Oakland residents are facing significant affordability challenges, stable library funding is more important than ever. We regularly hear from residents about the difference library services make in their daily lives. Reducing library services would disproportionately harm the people who rely on these resources most.
In the face of fiscal constraints, please protect the core public services that help Oakland residents learn, work, and thrive. Thank you.
My name is Corey Hatcher, VP of the Friends of the Oakland Public Library. I enthusiastically support Agenda Item 5: the purchase of 3105 San Pablo Ave for the Hoover-Durant Library. I also urge you to support the full allocation of Measure C, including the $2.7M from the General Fund that makes projects like this possible.
The San Pablo site is the perfect choice. It was the community's top pick in the feasibility study and is the most cost-effective option, offering the largest space for the lowest cost. Its location is highly accessible, near bus routes, a school, and a Head Start.
This library will become a vital community hub for over 10,000 nearby residents, providing access to technology and resources. It will foster a more walkable, connected neighborhood.
Please approve this purchase and give the Hoover-Durant community the library it deserves. Thank you.
According to the Hoover Durant Library Feasibility Study Report, this was the most popular location for the library as voted by community members. There are accessible bus routes near the site, and to redevelop as a library would align with the site use history. It is within a mile from a Head Start location, and a half mile from the nearest school. There is also an existing bike line on the street.
An economic analysis in the feasibility study report also determines that this option, among other locations, would be "the lowest cost, the largest amount of library space, the best cost effectiveness, excellent visibility and good pedestrian access."
This library would impact over 10,000 Oakland residents who live within a 10-minute walk of the location. Libraries provide technological resources, access to credible information, and meeting places for children, parents, students, workers, and neighbors. I believe the greatest impact of this library would be its impact on the walkability of the area and by connecting residents.
As Jane Jacobs once wrote, urban neighborhoods can be safer when there are "eyes on the street." Giving people more reasons to walk in the neighborhood, to meet family and colleagues at the library, and to learn who lives around them will have a transformative impact on the area.
Source: https://www.oaklandca.gov/Community/Library/Projects/Re-imagining-Two-Oakland-Public-Library-Experiences/Hoover-Branch-Library-Feasibility-Study