Old City Hall. Photo: Melati Citrawireja It may be another late night for the Berkeley City Council, which has two meetings Tuesday night set to include more than 60 agenda items. At 5:30 p.m., there’s a special session on the city’s economic profile, as well as updates from state Senator Loni Hancock and Assemblymember Tony Thurmond. […]
Housing Trust Fund
The Housing Trust Fund is the money the city uses to build and support affordable housing projects in Berkeley. The money can be leveraged 4-to-1 to seek outside funding. Money generally comes into the fund when developers choose not to include affordable units within their projects, or who do not include the full number of those units. Rather than building on site, they can pay a fee into the city’s Trust Fund instead.
Posted inCity, Crime & Safety, Housing & Development
The lowdown: Berkeley council on affordable housing, PRC protest report, homeless services, protest march
Tuesday’s council meeting will take place at Longfellow Middle School. Photo: Emilie Raguso Tuesday’s council meeting will take place at Longfellow Middle School. Photo: Emilie Raguso At its Dec. 1 meeting, the Berkeley City Council is set to kick off with a special 5:30 p.m. session on affordable housing, followed by the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The […]
Posted inCommunity
$20K a month for Berkeley house? Skyrocketing rental prices draw crowd to housing affordability ‘teach-in’
About 180 people attended a “teach-in” about Berkeley’s housing affordability crisis on Sunday. Photo: Kathleen Costanza About 180 people attended a “teach-in” about Berkeley’s housing affordability crisis on Sunday. Photo: Kathleen Costanza About 180 people packed into Berkeley Arts Festival, a performance space in Downtown Berkeley, on Sunday to hear housing experts and advocates discuss […]
Posted inCity
Green housing package sails through Berkeley council
Lori Droste. Courtesy: Facebook An innovative pair of policies to encourage affordable housing and green policies passed the first hurdle by acclaim at the Berkeley City Council meeting on Tuesday night. Councilwoman Lori Droste’s Green Affordable Housing Package designates units and funding for affordable housing by prioritizing housing over parking spaces in new, multi-unit developments, […]
Posted inCommunity, Housing & Development
Historic senior housing complex gets overhaul
Strawberry Creek Lodge will have a grand re-opening celebration later this month. Photo: Nicholas Bruno A 150-unit affordable senior housing complex in West Berkeley has announced a celebration later this month to show off extensive renovations to improve its seismic safety and add environmentally friendly features, according to a statement released Wednesday. Strawberry Creek Lodge, at 1320 Addison […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
City may boost affordable housing with density bonus
This proposed four-story, 23-unit project on San Pablo Avenue was partially funded by Berkeley’s Housing Trust Fund. Image: HKIT Architects The city of Berkeley is looking at how to build up its affordable housing stock by giving developers an alternative to a state law that grants them extra density in exchange for including affordable units […]
Posted inOpinion
Op-ed: How to get more affordable housing in Berkeley
One of the most contentious issues facing Berkeley is how to require developers to help provide affordable housing. We are proposing a new approach. Everyone agrees we face a critical shortage of affordable housing, but what’s the best way to increase it? Under current City law, developers of market-rate rental housing projects are required to […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development, Nosh
Housing to replace Berkeley Grocery Outlet building
A housing complex has been approved for West Berkeley, along with new retail that may become a grocery store.
Posted inHousing & Development
New affordable housing project headed for Berkeley
This proposed four-story, 23-unit project on San Pablo Avenue is partially funded by Berkeley’s Housing Trust Fund. Image: HKIT Architects This proposed four-story, 23-unit project on San Pablo Avenue is partially funded by Berkeley’s Housing Trust Fund. Image: HKIT Architects A vacant lot in West Berkeley is slated to become an affordable housing complex aimed mostly at people with disabilities after a unanimous […]
Posted inHousing & Development
Would new green initiative kill 2 downtown high rises?
Downtown Berkeley as seen in 2012 from the top of the Chase building on Shattuck Avenue. Photo: Tracey Taylor Update, June 14: The initiative has qualified for the November 2014 ballot. Original story: As volunteers man the entrances to Berkeley Bowl, wander the farmers markets, and stop people on the street to collect signatures for […]
Posted inCity, Housing & Development
‘The Aquatic’ wins easy approval from Berkeley officials
The Aquatic mixed-use development at 800 University Ave. in Berkeley could open by summer 2015. Image: Trachtenberg Architects A proposal for a new University Avenue mixed-use development, set to include 58 units, sailed through Berkeley zoning board review Thursday night, winning acclaim from commissioners for what they said was its beautiful design and sensitivity to […]
Posted inHousing & Development
‘The Durant’ apartments win approval from City Council
The Durant, as it would be viewed from Durant Avenue. (Click the image to see how it would look from Channing Way.) Image: Johnson Lyman Architects Tuesday night, the Berkeley City Council upheld a March decision by the city’s Zoning Adjustments Board to allow developers to move ahead with plans to build a 78-unit rental […]
