Oakland port gives first OK to CenterPoint logistics center

Port of Oakland's board last week gave initial approval to a landmark agreement with CenterPoint Properties to develop a $52 million logistics center on port property that once served as a U.S. Army base in Oakland, California.

The agreement calls for CenterPoint to construct and manage the 440,000-square-foot facility, which would be the first phase of a planned seaport logistics complex that could eventually encompass nearly 180 acres.

The complex will be located off Maritime Street near Oakland's Outer Harbor. The port began development there last year with the opening of a $100 million rail yard.

Tenants of the logistics center would likely include companies that require transloading services, port officials said in a press release.

The agreement comes up for a final vote by the commissioners on Nov. 30. If approved, it becomes official in January. Work on the logistics center could begin as early as first-quarter 2018.

"The Port of Oakland has a thoughtful vision for the future and with this agreement we can help them bring it to life and provide jobs that give people dignity and allow them to stay in Oakland," said CenterPoint Chief Development Officer Michael Murphy.

The agreement includes a preference for hiring local residents, with special consideration for disadvantaged residents including the chronically unemployed, single parents, formerly incarcerated and military veterans.

The Army decommissioned its Oakland base in the late 1990s. Since then, planners have envisioned a logistics campus that could further strengthen Oakland's role as a global trade gateway. The Port received about 187 acres of the property between 2003 and 2007.