Questions about Jack London Square in Oakland (Redding, San Leandro: condo, crime)

[tanglenet]

My only question about living in JLS is access for grocery shopping. It's fine for entertainment (dining out, movies, music) but my perception is that you need to drive for shopping to 27th (Whole Foods) or Grand Lake (Safeway, Trader Joes). I know they have the Farmers Market and you can walk to Chinatown, but do both of those options work for people?

[04kL4nD]

There's a Lucky right on the other side on the tunnel in Alameda (5 min drive), a Smart & Final in Old Oakland (10 min walk) or plenty of Asian grocers in Chinatown. Is there a Whole Foods? No. But it's not that hard to get groceries in JLS...

[artemis78]

I see people riding the shuttle back with Whole Foods bags often, though it's not clear that the shuttle will be there permanently. There's also a Lucky on the east side of the lake and the new Target in Alameda which are quick drives, though I've never been to either. However, there's currently a group trying to start a grocery store in JLS itself:
Help start a neighborhood market in Oakland | Indiegogo

[CirclingLogan]

Originally Posted by artemis78

I see people riding the shuttle back with Whole Foods bags often, though it's not clear that the shuttle will be there permanently.

Some city planners are aiming for the shuttle to become a streetcar down Broadway from JLS to Temescal.

However, there's currently a group trying to start a grocery store in JLS itself:
Help start a neighborhood market in Oakland | Indiegogo

Yeah, this is good.

[dlapiduz]

Originally Posted by 04kL4nD

Ok, but there's a FREE shuttle that takes people the few blocks from the BART station to JLS. Sadly, a lot of people don't know about it or choose not use it, but that's a different discussion. My point is that it's only a matter of time before they improve things and make it a less 'sketchy' experience to walk a few blocks to JLS. In the meantime, plenty of people have figured it out that it's not really bad at all.

It seems that the whole area is getting better by the day. I was looking into Spotcrime and it doesn't seem bad at all.

Somewhat related, Do the warehouses and industrial buildings (like the recycling plant) affect the day to day living? Does anyone think that some of this businesses are going to move anytime soon?

[jsba]

I live in the area and its not bad at all. During the day there are lots of businesses in the area around the train station and up to the freeway like Cost Plus HQ and Peerles and Blue Bottle coffee. At night its pretty quite but there are still plenty of people around in my opinion. I walk from the Lake Merritt station as does my girlfriend. There are tons of people that make that walk while I make it. I love the area personally.

[04kL4nD]

Originally Posted by dlapiduz

It seems that the whole area is getting better by the day. I was looking into Spotcrime and it doesn't seem bad at all.

Somewhat related, Do the warehouses and industrial buildings (like the recycling plant) affect the day to day living? Does anyone think that some of this businesses are going to move anytime soon?

I wouldn't trust Spotcrime as an accurate metric for crime stats. It' a user reported site, meaning anyone can log in and 'report' a crime. There are far better sites out there that are linked to the OPD. Even still, JLS is definitely one of the safer areas of Oakland- it has a lot to do with the OPD station and BART police station being so close by, and a lot of residential complexes hire private security, as well as some of the businesses.

As far as the recycling plant, it's a few blocks from my apartment and I only hear it during the late mornings if I happen to be home during the day. If you're a meat eater, there's a meat smoking warehouse down the street that emits a nice smokey aroma at night, but you can really only smell it if you're walking nearby. Aside from that, I don't really notice anything industrial that affects my day-to-day life.

[davdaven]

The Jack London Square area was hit hard by the recession. However, things have been improving as of late and the influx of yuppies, hipsters, artists, and former San Francisco residents is really livening up town. In fact, just within the past year I have noticed the addition of several new restaurants in Jack London Square, as well as a resurgence of events there and at the nearby Oakland Museum of California.

The free "B" shuttle really helps mobility, as BART is located just far enough away that some people would prefer not to walk. The freeway underpass on Broadway is not the most pleasant area, but it doesn't feel unsafe. All it needs is a little sprucing up like what one sees at Rockridge BART Station, or on 4th Street under University Avenue in nearby Berkeley, and it will be fine. The underpass to Lake Merritt BART does feel a little isolated at night, but the easy solution is to use 12th Street Station instead.

Groceries are easy to reach with a car. The Lucky and Target in Alameda are a 5-minute drive away, and there are several small markets in Chinatown. There is another Lucky on the south side of Lake Merritt, and Trader Joe's is not much further beyond that.

Depending upon your budget, there may be other Oakland neighborhoods worth checking out. Rockridge is very well established but also kind of pricey. Temescal is quickly becoming expensive too, but this would be a great choice if you have the money to catch up with real estate trends.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

I just wanted to let people know that my folks grew up in Oakland, grandma lived there, dad was an Oakland cop. We lived in San Leandro when I was a kid and dad worked in Oakland.

Jack London Square used to be a really hopping place. It has slowly and consistently declined over the years. JLS used to be a shopping destination. There were all kinds of shops, bookstores, boutiques, you name it. All of the storefronts were full and like I said, it was a destination to go shopping and dining.

Now, other than the farmer's market, it's a ghost town. So sad to see. Will it reverse? That would be nice. But, I'm skeptical.

OP as far as an investment, it wouldn't probably be a bad one. So many people are looking to Oakland as an alternative to living in SF. I would personally rather live in a neighborhood with more going on, like Temescal or many others. And I would never walk under that freeway. Take the free shuttle, yes, I would do that.

So as an investment, I say yes, good idea. As far as somewhere to live, I wouldn't. Too empty, too remote. But, you'll probably have no trouble selling a place there all the same, as people are hoping it goes back to the way it used to be.

Best wishes and good luck to you.

[04kL4nD]

That's rich, coming from someone who just willingly relocated to Redding, CA...