"BERKELEY - As Bay Area cities grapple with the need to add more housing in their urban cores through changes in zoning rules, a plan to allow buildings in Berkeley to soar higher in three business corridors has sparked a movement among shop owners and residents who worry they'll be pushed out. Still in the drafting stage, Berkeley's Corridor Zoning Update proposes raising the number of homes allowed to be built on sections of Solano, College and North Shattuck avenues."
"Save Berkeley Shops, a nonprofit recently founded by concerned residents and business owners, argues that what's been proposed will lead to skyrocketing property values that could drive up rents, make it harder to obtain long-term leases and ultimately force businesses out as large developers move in. Two founding members of the group are David Salk and Claudia Hunka. Salk was only 25 in the mid-1970s when he opened Focal Point, an opticians office in the Elmwood neighborhood."
Berkeley's Corridor Zoning Update, still in drafting, proposes raising the number of homes allowed on sections of Solano, College and North Shattuck avenues. A core principle of the project is equity, and the plan would allow building heights of 4 to 9 stories along those corridors so wealthier parts of the city absorb housing growth after decades of changes focused on South and West Berkeley. The proposal aims to encourage diverse housing to retain residents and protect housing security. A new nonprofit, Save Berkeley Shops, warns the changes could raise property values and rents, complicate long-term leases and displace long-standing small businesses; founders David Salk and Claudia Hunka cite decades of resilience and call the proposal a radical obstacle.
Read at The Mercury News
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