Walnut Capital proposes office space for former Cadillac dealership in Oakland
A new plan is in the works for the redevelopment of a blighted former Cadillac dealership on the Boulevard of the Allies in Oakland.
Developer Walnut Capital is proposing to convert the dilapidated two-story building at 3224 Boulevard of the Allies into 41,000 square feet of office space — a use in much demand in Oakland, where rents are high and vacancies nearly nonexistent.
The plan would replace a controversial proposal by Craft Place Properties LLC, the property owner, and Oxford Development Co. to demolish the old dealership and erect a fourstory, 100-unit apartment complex at the site.
That proposal came under fire from residents in the Oakcliffe section of South Oakland who raised concerns about parking and the size of the development.
While Craft Place and Oxford won the special exception, waivers and variance from the city’s zoning board of adjustment that they needed for the project, the Oakland Planning and Development Corp. and Oakcliffe Community Organization appealed the rulings to Allegheny County Common Pleas Court, which has yet to act.
Walnut Capital now has a sales agreement in place to purchase the property, president Todd Reidbord said.
The developer intends to renovate the interior space for offices and add windows, and it hopes to somehow make use of the car ramps that now go all the way to the roof of the old dealership.
Mr. Reidbord sees the building’s high ceilings and industrial feel as perfect for possible tech or other office uses.
“We think this is a great opportunity to reuse an existing building,” he said. “We like the bones of the old building.”
Walnut Capital also is planning a two-story, 64-space parking garage behind the former dealership, said David Panasiuk, chairman of the Oakcliffe Community Organization. In addition, it is seeking to use a former Kentucky Fried Chicken and Enterprise rental car lot across the street for parking.
The Oakcliffe Community Organization will meet Wednesday to decide whether to back the proposal. While some residents have opposed the plan, Mr. Panasiuk said he expects many people to support it, noting it’s probably “the best proposal we’ve had so far.”
“For us, right now, I think in general most people are happy with what’s going to be happening here,” he said.
Wanda Wilson, executive director of the Oakland Planning and Development Corp., said the organization has yet to take a position on the Walnut Capital proposal. It won’t do so until after the Oakcliffe group has decided what it will do.
But Ms. Wilson added there are things to like about the proposal, including the plan for more office space in the tight Oakland market. She said an office building likely will be more manageable in terms of community impact than an apartment complex.
While Ms. Wilson said the building’s zoning allows for office use, Walnut Capital still needs a special exception and several variances to make the proposal work. If it does not get them, it will not buy the building and the plans for the apartment complex will move back to the forefront, according to a posting on the Oakcliffe Community Organization website.
In a brief conversation Monday, Annemarie Hoffman, a representative for Craft Place Properties, said it was “premature” to discuss the Walnut Capital proposal.