Port of Oakland receives about 100 Howard Property RFQ inquiries

Port seeks innovative waterfront development concepts as Dec. 9 deadline approaches

The Port of Oakland received about 100 development related inquiries regarding its Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that seeks a developer for its 50-acre Howard Property.

“The Port is truly excited to answer so many development related questions for Howard Property. These questions show that developers are engaging at a deep technical level and are putting a lot of thought into the RFQ,” said Port of Oakland Chief Real Estate Officer Jonathan Veach. “We are hoping for creative and innovative concepts for this exceptional site and want to partner with potential developers to contribute to Oakland’s thriving waterfront landscape.”

Howard Property is a former marine terminal that has not been used for cargo vessel operations since 2013. Available waterfront property in an urban area is valuable acreage for potential development.

The Port is looking for development concepts that integrate with surrounding uses. Howard Property is next to industrial operations to the west and Jack London Square—the East Bay’s premier waterfront entertainment destination—to the east. On October 3, 2024, Port Staff held a pre-submission meeting and site visit that was very well attended with 75 guests.

“We are eager to see the possibilities for a fresh vision of how Howard Property can be used to best serve the Port’s waterfront,” said Veach. “Dec. 9 is the closing date for submissions, and we are looking forward to what could be next at this site.”

A Request for Qualifications seeking entities interested in developing Howard Property is posted on the Port of Oakland website. For the RFQ, click HERE.

• To watch a short video of the Howard Property project site, click HERE.
• To view Addendum No. 1 with responses to all inquiries, click HERE.
• To view the pre-submission meeting attendee list, click HERE.

The latest RFQ comes after Port officials considered various ideas for the former marine terminal. In 2019, the Port entered into an Exclusive Negotiation Term Sheet with the Oakland A’s, for a mixed-use ballpark development, which expired in May 2023. Currently, Howard Property is used for short-term property rental agreements to accommodate container parking, depot operations, and other ancillary maritime services.