Maven Properties’ Spring 2026 State of the Market report documents tightening neighborhood vacancy, rising home values, and double-digit BART ridership increases across Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda

Retail vacancy across the East Bay’s primary neighborhood corridors remained below 5 percent as of February 2026, with several major shopping streets recording occupancy rates at or above 95 percent, according to Maven Properties’ Spring 2026 State of the Market report for the East Bay. The brokerage’s findings, drawn from direct street-level surveys rather than third-party databases, point to a retail environment defined by limited available space and sustained tenant demand.

Among the corridors surveyed, College Avenue in Berkeley posted the lowest vacancy rate at 2.38 percent across 310 total retail spaces. Lakeshore Avenue in Oakland recorded a 2.9 percent vacancy rate across 69 spaces, followed by Fourth Street in Berkeley at 3.8 percent across 79 spaces. Grand Avenue in Oakland reported a 4.1 percent rate across 73 spaces, while College Avenue in Oakland came in at 7.81 percent across 64 spaces. Telegraph Avenue in Oakland, the largest corridor surveyed with 110 total spaces, posted the highest vacancy rate at 10.91 percent. Park Street in Alameda registered 6 percent vacancy across 50 spaces.

The report characterizes the East Bay as a region of nearly three million residents that operates as a collection of distinct micro-markets, each with its own retail mix and customer base. Neighborhoods such as Rockridge, Grand Lake, Temescal, Montclair, Downtown Walnut Creek, and the Tri-Valley each maintain distinct identities, while food and beverage tenants continue to serve as a unifying draw across submarket boundaries.

The report highlights a roster of restaurants that have elevated the East Bay’s culinary profile, ranging from established institutions such as Chez Panisse and Commis to newer arrivals including Sun Moon Studio, Sirene, and Burdell. Sirene earned recognition from the San Francisco Chronicle as the Bay Area’s best new restaurant of the year. Maven’s own recent food and beverage transactions in the East Bay include leases for Shake Shack at 5614 Bay St. in Emeryville, Blue Bottle Coffee at 4001 Piedmont Ave. in Oakland, Cellarmaker Brewing Company at 300 Webster St. in Oakland, and Kopi Bar and Bakery at 2155 Center St. in Berkeley, among others.

Housing market fundamentals are reinforcing the retail activity. The median home sale price in Alameda County reached $925,000 in January 2026, representing a 2.6 percent year-over-year increase, according to the report. Apartment rental data sourced from CBRE’s Q3 2025 Bay Area report shows Oakland asking rents at $2,458 with 4.3 percent growth, Berkeley at $2,800 with 2.9 percent growth, and Alameda at $2,578 with 1.1 percent growth. The Oakland/East Bay multifamily submarket recorded a 4.7 percent vacancy rate with 1.6 percent year-over-year rent growth as of the third quarter, according to the CBRE data cited in the report.

Transit ridership data provides additional evidence of rising foot traffic. BART continued to post gains through 2025, with December 2025 ridership up 13.5 percent compared with the same month in 2024. Station-level data from October 2024 to October 2025 showed increases across every Oakland and Berkeley station surveyed. Downtown Berkeley posted the largest gain at 17.6 percent, rising from 6,172 to 7,260 average weekday exits. MacArthur rose 16.4 percent, 19th Street/Oakland gained 14 percent, 12th Street/Oakland City Center increased 13.2 percent, and Rockridge climbed 11.5 percent. San Francisco Bay Ferry carried approximately three million passengers in 2025, only the second time the service has reached that milestone, according to the report. Alameda ferry ridership rose 16 percent from 2023 levels.

Demographic data cited in the report from ESRI positions East Bay communities favorably against peer markets nationwide. Alameda leads the comparison with a median household income of $137,300, above San Francisco at $126,000 and New York at $122,667. Oakland’s median household income stands at $96,828, with Berkeley at $103,727. Alameda County’s unemployment rate ranks among the lowest of the major metro areas compared in the report, falling below Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, and Portland.

The East Bay’s corporate tenant base spans both legacy employers and technology firms. Major companies headquartered in the region include Kaiser Permanente, Clorox, PG&E, and Safeway, while tech-focused employers include Block Inc (Square), Credit Karma, Tesla, Workday, Lam Research, and Everlaw, among others. Combined with declining crime rates across Oakland, Berkeley, and Alameda and a corporate tenant base that includes both legacy employers and a growing technology sector, the data suggests the East Bay’s neighborhood retail corridors are carrying into 2026 with a convergence of favorable conditions not seen in several years. Whether that momentum translates into further tightening or begins to test affordability thresholds for small-business tenants remains among the key questions heading into the second half of the year.