Key Impacts

Traffic Volume and Flow

• Existing roads in the project area are one lane in each direction. Kaiser Oakland is the same size but is located in a larger footprint at MacArthur Boulevard and Broadway.
• Sutter's traffic study only covers the direct project area; the Emeryville-conducted EIR will cover 79 additional intersections, but none shown in Oakland.
• Sutter presentations have discussed how traffic will arrive from I-80 in Emeryville, but not from CA-24 exits in Oakland.
• Streets in the Emeryville project area have been recently and deliberately narrowed to prioritize bike and pedestrian traffic and transit.

Parking

Garage parking will be paid, and current Alta Bates patients have complained about the costs.

Nearly all adjacent streets in Emeryville and Oakland have unrestricted free parking.

• People going to the medical center will overwhelm street parking and local residential lots.
• Unattended parked cars are targets for crime that can spill over to residences.

Public Safety

• The Emeryville Police Department and Alameda County Fire Department Emeryville District are already understaffed.
• The neighborhood already experiences mail theft, bike theft, abandoned stolen vehicles, and car theft.
• Introducing 12,000 additional people per day to the neighborhood will strain emergency services.

Financial Losses

Big benefits for Sutter Health

Sutter Health's nonprofit status means it is exempt from local property and business taxes on the Emeryville 12-acre campus, except the one-time $11 million property transfer tax from land purchases to develop the Emeryville complex.

In 2025, the Sutter Health system collected about $19.8 billion from services and insurance premiums, while spending roughly $19.3 billion on operating costs. The $509 million surplus (rather than "profit") is legally required to go back into the system to upgrade technology, build new clinics, and expand patient care access.

Bigger costs to Emeryville, Oakland, and the County

No property and business tax revenue means no additional income to cover:

• School funding to support EUSD facility maintenance, operations, and bond repayment.
• Increased demand for police and fire services associated with the new campus.
• Increased infrastructure and capital improvements for more wear and tear on roads from 20,000 more vehicle trips per day, storm drains, bridges, and other critical public assets.
• Increased use of residential street parking by hospital visitors and patients due to limited free parking on campus.
• Increased traffic and congestion resulting from an estimated 20,000 additional vehicle trips per day.
• Essential county services, including jails, sheriff's services, courts, elections, property tax collection, and parks.