NX Ventures aims to build 105 apartments near UC Berkeley

NX Ventures is aiming to add to its growing portfolio of Berkeley apartment buildings with a proposal to build a 105-unit complex in Downtown.

The Berkeley-based developer filed plans to build the 14-story, mixed-use building at 2109 Milvia Street, just south of the UC Berkeley campus, SFYimby reported. It would replace a parking lot.

Plans call for a 150-foot tall rectangular building with 105 studio apartments and 830 square feet of shops on the 0.16-acre lot between Addison and Center streets.

The complex would include two club rooms and a rooftop deck. Parking would serve 42 bicycles.

A state density bonus would allow the developer to build a larger building with less parking and open space than zoning rules allow in exchange for 11 affordable units for low-income households.

The cream-colored project, designed by Berkeley-based Trachtenberg Architects, would be sheathed in metal panels broken up by floor-to-ceiling windows. A north-facing wall would have an eight-story mural by a local artist.

It’s just the latest East Bay project by NX and Trachtenberg, which seeks to build nine apartment buildings across Berkeley, for a combined 1,850 units, according to SFYimby.

The largest project by the local development duo is a 28-story, 599-unit highrise at 1998 Shattuck Avenue. When complete, the 317-foot-tall building would be the tallest in town, surpassing UC Berkeley’s historic Campanile bell tower.

NX and Trachtenberg also plan to build a 207-unit, eight-story complex at 1598 University Avenue.

The NX-Trachtenberg team is also behind a 16-story apartment building planned for 2420 Shattuck Avenue and a 221-unit project with room for shops and restaurants at 2920 Shattuck Avenue.

NX Ventures, founded in 2016, is led by entrepreneur Nathan George, a Cal business graduate based near Washington D.C. and Baltimore. He owns NDG Real Estate & Consulting, a Berkeley-based real estate investment trust with an eye toward renovating historic buildings, plus a high-fidelity audio company in Austin, according to his Linkedin page.Downtown Berkeley is growing taller faster than any Bay Area city hub, with at least six buildings between 16 and 28 stories proposed in Berkeley’s central core.

— Dana Bartholomew