Transforming Oakland: The Fight for a New BART Station in San Antonio

The far end of 14th Avenue in East Oakland, where the street meets East 8th between an old Burger King restaurant and the BART train tracks, is largely devoid of people. Most skip it altogether, enclosed in their transit bubbles, toggling through phones while riding in cars, trains, and buses. Occasionally, you’ll see a cyclist or motorcyclist, and a couple of blocks away you might find a bus rider waiting for the BRT that comes by every 15 minutes. For the most part, though, this is a place for passing through.

Despite its proximity to family homes and businesses, the area manages to feel industrial and uninviting. But look a little closer and you’ll see unrealized potential. Just over there, on the north side of the intersection? That sliver of hillside grass? Assuming you can avoid all the speeding cars and get there safely, you can enjoy one of the quietest open areas in East Oakland for a contemplative solo session.

The San Antonio Station Alliance (SASA)

Over the past two years, a group of people who live near this intersection in the San Antonio neighborhood have chosen to focus on the positive potential in the area. They see a future strategic Bay Area transit hub and a neighborhood that, as a result, is denser, livelier, and safer.

BART Reproduced the East Bay’s Inequalities

Former BART spokesperson Michael Healey noted that there were few conversations around a San Antonio station during its first few decades. That absence speaks volumes about the agency’s priorities at the time.

The organizers say the distance between Fruitvale and Lake Merritt BART stations is the longest between any two city stations in the system, at 2.7 miles.

Potential Connections and Benefits

Potential connections to other regional rail, trail, and bus lines are among the arguments the SASA group is currently making to residents and lawmakers.

Does Everyone Want a Station?

Some people who live in Oakland don’t support building a new station in San Antonio. They say the closest BART locations are not too far away, that adding new stations between older ones would slow down service, and are also skeptical that transit ridership would increase.

What do you think?

• Should a new BART station be built in San Antonio?
• Do you believe that adding a station would benefit the community?
• Is gentrification a concern with the development of a new station?