About The Property

The Oakland Housing Authority’s Westwood Gardens was originally constructed in the mid-1960’s but by the 1990’s, the complex had become deteriorated and plagued with crime and illegal drug activity. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake destroyed the elevated portion of the Cypress Freeway that fronted Westwood Gardens, there was a concerted effort to re-envision this historic West Oakland neighborhood. The OHA collaborated with neighborhood stakeholders, the City of Oakland and the State of California to formulate plans to revitalize this site and the surrounding West Oakland neighborhood.

Today, Mandela Gateway is a vibrant complex of new affordable rental apartments, townhomes and condominiums with over 20,000 square feet of retail space, an outdoor play area for children, as well as community spaces for residents, a landscaped town square, and a wide range of resident services including youth and adult educational classes, job readiness, computer learning, and after-school programs. Mandela Gateway is located across from the West Oakland BART Station and has reestablished Seventh Street as a retail corridor.

  • The Building

Site Address: 1350 7th Street​
Units: 168 one-, two-, and three- and four- bedroom apartments, including two managers’ unit
Green Building: ​LEED, Energy Star
Completion Date: 2005
Awards:

  • ​​Affordable Housing Finance Magazine’s 2005 Readers Choice Award for Best Urban Project
  • National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials Award of Excellence, 2006
  • San Francisco Business Times’ Real Estate Deal of the Year for Affordable Residential Development, 2005
  • Three (3) Pacific Coast Builders Conference Gold Nugget Awards
  • The People

Architect(s): MWA Architects
Landowner: Oakland Housing Authority
Project Partner(s): BRIDGE Housing Corporation
Population(s) Served: Households with maximum incomes up to 60% of AMI
Site Phone Number: ​(510) 768-7872

  • The Funding

Development Cost: Approximately $51.8 Million
Sources of Funding:

  • ​Oakland Housing Authority
  • US Department of Housing and Urban Development -HOPE V
  • City of Oakland
  • Wells Fargo Bank
  • Centerline Capital Group
  • Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco – AHP grant
  • California Housing Finance Agency

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