Cornerstone Earth Group, Inc. provided environmental consulting services for the West Oakland BART Mandela Station development, including soil, groundwater, and soil vapor sampling. Based on the results, Cornerstone prepared a Removal Action Workplan (RAW) that described the general methods to prepare the site for residential use.
The mixed-use development is expected to create hundreds of new residential units and a variety of retail businesses. The project will be developed in several phases on an approximately 5.5 acre site that include a 320-foot residential tower, ranking among the tallest buildings in the City of Oakland, as well as retail shops and 125 new parking spaces, a 240-unit affordable housing structure and retail shops, and a 300,000 square feet life science office building with retail shops and more than 250 parking spaces.
In addition to the new buildings, the development plan calls for replacing the existing parking lots around the station with a 1.7 acre network of open public space. The 30,030 square foot Mandela Plaza will provide a civic community gathering place by placing circular nodes of seating around turf grass, creating the feel of a shared living room. The 15,950 square foot Center Square will offer a landscaped pedestrian artery connecting 5th Street with the BART entrance.