OAKLAND (KCBS) – A divided Metropolitan Transportation Commission has approved moving its headquarters from Oakland to San Francisco, despite objections from lawmakers, Oakland officials and transportation advocates.

By a 10-to-6 vote, the MTC board voted to buy and remodel a former postal facility at 390 Main Street in San Francisco. The total cost for the building and improvements is $179 million.

KCBS’ Margie Shafer Reports:

Lindsay Imai with Urban Habitat, an Oakland-based advocacy group, said there are other needs for the money being spent on the move.

“There’s so many other transportation needs. Why not find a way to use this $180 million to try to restore some of the transit cuts that we’ve seen made,” she said.

Oakland City Councilmember Rebecca Kaplan said one of the other concerns is the accessibility of the new building.

“The building they are recommending is not seismically safe and is not on transit,” she said.

But Dennis Conaghan, Executive Director of the San Francisco Center for Economic Development, disagrees with that assessment.

“We think it’s a great opportunity for MTC and the related agencies,” Conaghan said. “San Francisco, in our opinion, is the convergence of a number of businesses in the Bay Area.”

Metropolitan Transportation Commission Chair Adrienne Tissier said the two year process to find a new headquarters was “prudent” and the location meets the agency’s need to grow.

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