Community Benefits in Action
- Bayview Hunter's Point
- Fruitvale Gateway Project
- Oak to Ninth Project
What and Why
Our Community Benefits work grows out of our focus on equitable development practices. We believe that existing residents of low-income neighborhoods should share in the benefit from economic development activities and should not share an undue share of the burdens of that development.
Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) are a key tool to help accomplish that goal. CBAs are legally binding agreements negotiated by community groups with developers and/or public agencies that require the provision of benefits identified by resident and community groups. Winning and implementing these agreements requires strong advocacy and an organized base of residents with the capacity to speak for themselves. Our work in the Community Benefits arena also includes monitoring the implementation of CBAs and helping residents devise ways to ensure that community benefits promised by developers and public agencies outside of CBAs are delivered.