BART using federal loan to build new police headquarters in Oakland

BART is gearing up plans to relocate its Police Department to new headquarters in downtown Oakland in 2026, after receiving a $150 million federal loan to fund construction. 

BART police are vacating their current headquarters at 800 Madison St. in Oakland to make room for a new BART development project, which will include affordable housing units, shops and parking. The new headquarters will be about a mile away, at 2000 Broadway. 

In a competitive market, the new facility could help BART police with its recruitment efforts, said James Allison, a BART spokesman. BART has 411 sworn and civilian law enforcement personnel, including 39 new hires this year, and has 18 vacancies yet to fill.

The loan, awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will facilitate “a new, higher-tech facility,” BART police Chief Kevin Franklin said in a written statement. BART’s board of directors approved a loan agreement in October with the Build America Bureau, a government agency that offers credit assistance to regional projects. 

The $150 million, interest free for five years, is a portion of a total available loan of over $544 million. Pamela Herhold, BART assistant general manager who handles the agency’s budget, said BART has only committed to using $150 million, and would need the board’s approval to tap more of the available loan for any future projects.  

Board members disagree

The loan may be a lifeline for the agency, as a fiscal report projects a deficit of $385 million in 2027.

Only two of the nine board members — Debora Allen and Liz Ames — voted against the loan, saying they were dissatisfied with the location of the new headquarters and questioned whether it was the right time to invest in the project. 

“I view this as a $544 million loan, over half a billion dollars, and I don’t think that this is an appropriate thing to do at the time,” Allen said.

In an August opinion piece in the East Bay Times, Allen said she is one of only two directors who have consistently tried to address BART’s “irresponsible spending.” 

“Rather than take practical steps to resolve its huge operating deficits, BART prefers to simply beg taxpayers, both locally and across America, for billions more in funding to keep expanding the system far beyond rider demand,” she wrote.

The agency has not yet released any other plans for the available money.

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