Posted inCity, Housing & Development

ZAB to downtown garage developer: Step up your game

A rendering of the upgraded Center Street garage. The Zoning Adjustments Board was critical of the plan, saying it was not ambitious enough. Image: Marcy Wong Donn Logan Architects Berkeley zoning board members told the developer of the Center Street garage overhaul at a project preview session last week that they want him to go above and beyond the submitted plans […]

Posted inCity, Crime & Safety

Open house displays plans for Shattuck Square facelift

The intersection of Shattuck and University avenues is the second most dangerous intersection in Berkeley for pedestrian collisions and near-misses. The city hopes to change that with the Shattuck reconfiguration project. Image: Google Maps Berkeley residents got their first look at the city’s plan to redesign traffic patterns around Shattuck Square on Tuesday night at an […]

Posted inCity, Housing & Development

Officials to relax rules for Berkeley ‘granny flats’

An accessory dwelling unit on Virginia Street. Photo: Frameworks Berkeley officials voted unanimously Tuesday night to streamline the process for homeowners who want to add secondary units — sometimes called in-law units or granny flats — to their properties. Supporters of the draft plan say it is a sustainable approach to increasing density and will allow more […]

Posted inOpinion

Op-ed: Berkeley should ease parking rules for in-law units

Before and after shots of an accessory dwelling unit (ADU) after remodeling. Photo: Patricia Motzkin Architecture As we know, our population is aging and more people are confronting the need to plan for appropriate living arrangements. An Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU), either for a caretaker’s apartment or as a downsizing option, is becoming increasingly popular. The […]

Posted inCity

Drivers say goBerkeley program made it easier to park

New parking meters with credit card payment options were part of the goBerkeley program. Photo: Steer Davies Gleave/goBerkeley New parking meters with credit card payment options were part of the goBerkeley program. Photo: Steer Davies Gleave/goBerkeley Community members will have the chance next week to weigh in about changes to paid parking in three of Berkeley’s busiest commercial districts. The changes […]

Posted inCommunity, Housing & Development, Schools

Locals worry new Cal high-rise will reduce parking

A rendering of Berkeley Way West as it would be seen from Shattuck Avenue. Image: WRNS Studio/UC Berkeley A rendering of Berkeley Way West as it would be seen from Shattuck Avenue. Image: WRNS Studio/UC Berkeley Some Berkeley residents and Cal employees are worried a new UC Berkeley high-rise set to be built downtown might create parking issues. The concerns […]

Posted inCity

Berkeley to look at residential permit parking citywide

The city of Berkeley is looking at expanding its permit parking program to ease the crush in residential neighborhoods. Photo: Chris Makarsky The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to study whether permit parking might be needed in more residential neighborhoods throughout the city, and whether the cost to buy those permits should increase. To […]

Posted inCity

Council to consider higher rates, evening hours for some Berkeley parking meters

Crowded conditions on many commercial blocks in Berkeley in the evening could lead to metered parking until 8 p.m. Image: City of Berkeley New metered parking rates and time limits, in effect in Berkeley since last fall in three of the city’s busiest commercial areas, have made it easier for many visitors to find daytime parking, according to […]

Posted inCrime, Crime & Safety

Man pepper sprayed in fight over parking in Berkeley

Image: CrimeMapping.com A Berkeley man has been arrested after allegedly assaulting another man with pepper spray during a fight over parking, authorities said Monday. Thursday, Jan. 23, shortly before 7 p.m., the two men got into a verbal altercation over parking on Delaware Street near Walnut Street, said Officer Jennifer Coats, Berkeley Police Department spokeswoman, […]