The view from the UC Berkeley Campanile looking west toward San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge is iconic, but it should not be landmarked, the Landmarks Preservation Commission decided Thursday, April 2. The 5-3 vote, with one abstention, came after almost four hours of testimony from residents who are concerned that a proposed 18-story […]
Austene Hall
Posted inCity
Berkeley zoning ballot language heading to court
Berkeley City Councilman Jesse Arreguín filed a lawsuit against Berkeley on Wednesday seeking to overturn ballot language that will be used to describe a downtown zoning initiative. Arreguín wants an Alameda County Superior Court judge to take up the matter immediately, since final ballot language for the November 2014 election is due Sept. 2. In the […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
Downtown initiative on ballot; Berkeley city, schools may lose millions in fees
The majority of the Berkeley City Council exerted its political muscle Tuesday night by voting for a ballot description for the downtown initiative drawn up by Mayor Tom Bates that is less flattering than the ones offered by the city attorney and Councilman Jesse Arreguín, the main proponent of the initiative. Bates’ description of the […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
Initiative aims to tighten ‘green’ parts of Downtown Plan
Update: 6//14: The initiative has qualified for the November 2014 ballot. Original story: City Councilman Jesse Arreguín, some members of the environmental community, the labor community, and preservationists are circulating a ballot initiative that would drastically overhaul elements of the Berkeley Downtown Area Plan endorsed by voters in 2010 and codified by the city council […]