Battle of the Bay: Oakland Ahead of San Francisco in Housing Construction

"Builders in Oakland are on course to create more new housing units than San Francisco this year, a notable role reversal for a city that has long produced far less residential development than its wealthier and more bustling neighbor across the bay," reports J.K. Dineen.

"Currently, 9,304 total units are under construction in Oakland. During 2019 it is expected that more than 6,800 of these units will come online, with many having already opened. By contrast, San Francisco — which has more than twice the population of Oakland — is expected to produce 4,700 new housing units in 2019, according to the city’s respective planning departments."

Dineen says the glut of apartment construction in Oakland has given renters a reprieve from the terrible pressures of the housing market in the rest of the region and state. There's a "renters' market" in Oakland, writes Dineen.