District Organizing
Variety of convenient shopping districts
From neighborhood-serving stores to unique ethnic shops to upscale boutiques, Oakland has it all!
Oakland's 55 shopping districts vary from quiet, tree-lined streets to bustling commercial corridors. Parking is plentiful, inexpensive and there is no mall congestion to endure. Find a world of gifts and products throughout Oakland - the most culturally and ethnically diverse city in America.
Click here to view a higher resolution version of the map.
For more information on Oakland shopping districts, click here to visit Shop Oakland.
For the latest scoop on great places to eat and shop as well as fun things to do in Oakland, click here to visit the Oakland Grown website.
Oakland Business Improvement District Program
Oakland's Business Improvement District Program supports economic revitalization. The program currently generates approximately $3.3 million in special assessments annually.
The City provides technical assistance for merchants and property owners to establish Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in neighborhood commercial areas.
BIDs are self-imposed assessment districts established by a majority vote of licensed businesses and/or property owners in the district. These assessments pay for maintenance, security, management, and physical improvements beyond those normally provided by the city.
Oakland’s nine BIDs represent approximately 1,900 business and property owners in these districts (with year of incorporation):
Downtown Oakland (2008)
Fruitvale (2001)
Koreatown/Northgate (2007)
Lake Merritt/Uptown (2008)
Lakeshore/Lake Park (2003)
Laurel(2005)
Montclair (2001)
Rockridge (2001)
Temescal/Telegraph Avenue (2004)
Highlights of Oakland BIDs’ accomplishments:
- Improved safety and cleanliness: security patrols, security and cleaning ambassadors, leadership in Merchant Watch and Neighborhood Crime Prevention Councils, sidewalk cleaning and graffiti abatement
- Stronger relationships with City of Oakland staff in Community & Economic Development, Police, Public Works.
- Production of dozens of annual events, including street fairs, seasonal festivals, farmers markets, restaurant walks.
- Enhanced landscaping, seating, sidewalks, pedestrian crossings.
- Increased communication with businesses, residents, shoppers and media via newsletters, websites and news releases--numerous mentions in local, regional and national publications.
For more information on BIDs, contact Maria Rocha at mrocha@oaklandnet.com or (510) 238-6176.
Oakland Merchants’ Leadership Forum
The Oakland Merchants’ Leadership Forum (OMLF) provides a cohesive voice for more than 40 merchant organizations in Oakland.
By bringing together the efforts of Oakland’s many small business associations to develop policies and strategies that benefit neighborhood business districts, OMLF increases economic development, community pride and civic participation.
For more information, visit www.omlf.org.
Urban Design/Streetscape Improvements
The goal: to create pedestrian-friendly streets in neighborhood commercial districts. Improvements include sidewalk extensions at crosswalks and intersections, pedestrian scale streetlights, streetlamp banners, trees, landscaped medians, and coordinated street furniture.
For more information, contact Ain Bailey at abailey@oaklandnet.com or (510) 238-6653.
For information on grants for individual storefront building improvements, click here to view information on the facade and tenant grant programs.
For more on retail in Oakland, click here to visit our Retail page.
