Apartments Proposed in Berkeley’s Less Affluent West Side

A month after Berkeley City Council members raised concerns about a disproportionate number of housing units built in lower-income neighborhoods, Irvine-based Allrise Capital has proposed a 123-unit apartment complex on San Pablo Avenue in the city’s western – and less affluent – section, according to public records.

Located at 2136-2154 San Pablo Avenue, the proposed project is a six-story mixed-use building. The project would use the California State Density Bonus Law to allow an extra 32.5 percent of floor space, which translates into 31 additional residential units. The building would be 82,083 square feet with 6,319 square feet of open space.

Three units and six lofts would be constructed at the ground floor. Floors 2 through 5 would house 117 dwelling units, consisting of 36 studios, 76 one-bedrooms and five two-bedroom units.

The new law gives housing developments with below-market rate homes the right to additional density, to forego some local standards that prolong development, and to reduce parking requirements.

This summer West Berkeley Councilmembers Rashi Kesarwani and Terry Taplin argued in a letter sent to the city’s planning staff that the more affluent parts of the city only account for 4 percent of new construction. In response, staff said they will look to revamp zoning codes for more affluent neighborhoods such as North Shattuck, Solano and College. The changes could allow taller buildings which could make way for development of more dense housing.

“We are very concerned that the draft Housing Element does not address Berkeley’s legacy of redlining and fails to fulfill State HCD standards for affirmatively furthering fair housing,” the letter stated. “We believe that the city must, at minimum, increase allowable height and density in the zoning districts covering Solano, North Shattuck and Elmwood.”

In the letter, the council members argued that 3,600 apartments are to be built in West Berkeley, compared to 326 in Northeast Berkeley. The gap was even larger for affordable apartments, with 1,956 eyed for West Berkeley and 136 in Northeast Berkeley. They also claimed that West and South Berkeley were zoned to allow more industrial and commercial uses.

One example of a project in the more affluent northern part of the city is 600 units proposed for development at the BART station near Sacramento Street. The city and BART entered a memorandum of understanding on the parcel and another near the station on Ashby Avenue.