Mayor And City Leaders To Discuss Visions of Growth

OAKLAND, CA-The East Bay has emerged in recent years as an alternative for businesses seeking a reprieve from high rents in San Francisco and Silicon Valley. As a result, there are currently 50 projects underway in the city that will change Oakland’s skyline, corporate make-up and demographic profile over the next several years – and it’s time to talk about it.

Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown will be among a group of civic and business leaders speaking on the issue tomorrow morning at the Oakland Marriott City Center, in front of a sell-out crowd of more than 600. Other scheduled speakers are City Manager Robert Bobb, the port’s director of real estate Omar Benjamin, Holliday Development Corp. president Rick Holliday and John Grassi, managing director and chief investment officer at the Shorenstein Co.

The panelists are likely to discuss potential real estate development deals and how they fit into Oakland’s potential growth and economic prosperity, says Mark Calvey, a reporter and media organizer for the San Francisco Business Times, which is sponsoring the “Visions of Growth” event. Calvey says that panelists will also discuss ways of attracting retail to the city and the future of the Port of Oakland. “The mayor tends to cover a lot of ground quickly,” says Calvey. “I expect that he will do that tomorrow.”