'Grocery-to-housing' developer wants to bring 415 units of senior housing to Oakland Trader Joe's site

The proposal is using California's density bonus and other laws to sidestep potential local opposition.

1 minute read

April 24, 2026, 8:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


Google Maps street view of Trader Joe's grocery store in Oakland, California.

The Trader Joe's would likely stay open for several years if the project is approved. | google Maps / Google Maps

A San Francisco-based developer known for grocery-to-housing conversions filed an application to redevelop an Oakland commercial center anchored by a Trader Joe's into a 415-unit senior housing project.

According to an article in The Real Deal, the proposal calls for multiple 31- and 25-story buildings on a site near the Rockridge BART station. "While Align’s plans in San Francisco have included the redevelopment of several Safeway stores with additional housing, the development firm isn’t planning to replace the Trader Joe’s with another grocery store, despite the site being owned by Safeway parent company Albertsons." The Trader Joe's is expected to remain open for several years if the project is approved.

The developer, Align, filed the application under several California housing laws including its density bonus program and a law that exempts certain projects from environmental review. "That strategy could prove critical in a neighborhood where large-scale development has historically faced resistance and where the city has faced lagging housing production."

Thursday, April 23, 2026 in The Real Deal

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.