Uber Takes Over Historic Sears Building

Uber plans to open a global headquarter in Oakland by 2017, taking over the iconic Sears building in the middle of Uptown Oakland. After they finish a $40 million renovation, the newly named Uptown Station will be ready for 3,000 employees to occupy six floors. It will include an upscale food hall on the ground floor, a central atrium to allow natural light in the office space, and a basic necessity for every office: a rooftop with picnic tables and fire pits.

If Uber fills the Sears building completely, it will become Oakland's largest employer (that isn't a government agency or medical center) and likely to prompt the construction of luxury apartments and other housing projects around the area.

That's code for: your rent will go up. A lot.