High-Rise Towers Proposed To Replace Rockridge Trader Joe's

BAY AREA, CA — An application filed Wednesday could transform a longtime grocery store into a flashpoint over housing density, neighborhood scale, and California development law.

The company behind a proposal to replace the Trader Joe’s and parking lot at 5727 College Ave. has asked Oakland to approve two residential towers rising 25 and 30 stories, a dramatic departure from Rockridge’s low-rise commercial corridor and existing height limits, according to reports.

Align Real Estate submitted a 36-page preliminary application to the city outlining plans for 415 units of senior and assisted living housing on land owned by Albertsons.

Albertsons is the parent company of the nearby grocer, Safeway.

The proposal, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, places assisted living and memory care facilities steps from Highway 24 and the Rockridge BART station.

If built, the project would introduce one of the tallest developments in the area and remove a heavily used neighborhood grocery store and its parking lot, a prospect that is already sharpening the debate over housing needs, transit-oriented growth, and the future character of Rockridge.

Plans show no ground-floor retail, an unusual feature for a major urban infill project along a commercial corridor, according to reports.

The senior housing complex would be managed by an unnamed nonprofit operator, according to the filing.

The developer also argues the project qualifies for waivers under recent California housing laws that could allow it to exceed the neighborhood’s 95-foot height cap and potentially bypass a standard environmental review process, a claim likely to draw scrutiny as the proposal advances.

Councilmember Zac Unger, who represents Rockridge, told the Chronicle he had not yet fully reviewed the application.

Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee’s office had not yet commented.

The proposal arrives as Oakland wrestles with pressure to add housing while balancing neighborhood opposition to large-scale redevelopment.