Lake Merritt tiny home village construction begins

Construction began this week on a tiny home village city officials intend for homeless people on city-owned land at Lake Merritt.

The property, located at East 12th Street, will eventually house 65 people in tiny homes and provide a comprehensive set of services to help residents transition to stable housing and health, officials said.

The site has been slated for an apartment complex development since 2015, though the proposed Lakehouse Commons Project has since been mired in controversy, funding issues and several extensions, leaving the property empty. 

The city is partnering with Housing Consortium of the East Bay to manage a Pallet Shelter, built by a company of the same name that has tiny home communities in San Jose and Los Angeles (for more information, see https://www.palletshelter.com/virtual-tour). The shelter structures can be disassembled and moved to another location if and when the apartment complex construction begins.

Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas called the project a significant upgrade in living conditions, in a news release issued Tuesday by her office.

She said:

“Through this project, we will demonstrate that compassionate, trauma-informed, tiny home communities can effectively create safer and healthier communities, and also help residents successfully transition to stable housing and health.” 

For more information about the project, see a list of frequently asked questions here. 

Bay City News

Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area. © 2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.