Berkeley could allow taller apartment buildings along Solano, College and Shattuck avenues to add housing in wealthy, sought-after neighborhoods. Planning staff will take public comments at two forums this week, with City Council feedback in November and a final vote expected next year. Early drafts of the zoning rules have drawn scrutiny from YIMBY activists who say the changes do not go far enough and from residents who fear mid-rise buildings will undermine the low-slung character and local institutions such as Cheese Board Collective and Chez Panisse. Public forums are scheduled at St. John's Presbyterian Church and Thousand Oaks Elementary School.
Berkeley could soon allow taller apartment buildings to be built along popular stretches of Solano, College and Shattuck avenues, as a rezoning effort meant to bring more housing to some of the city's wealthiest and most sought-after neighborhoods takes shape this fall. Planning staff will hear public comments on the proposed changes at two forums this week, before the City Council gives its feedback at a meeting in November. A final vote on the regulations is expected next year.
Early drafts of the new zoning rules are facing scrutiny from both sides of the housing debate. Yes-In-My-Backyard activists who advocated for the plan arguing that tight zoning limits have kept nearly all of the city's new housing out of neighborhoods such as the Elmwood District, North Shattuck and Thousand Oaks are concerned the changes don't go far enough to open up those wealthier areas. Others fear the proposal will allow mid-rise apartment buildings that would destroy the charm of the low-slung blocks that are home to local institutions such as Cheese Board Collective and Chez Panisse.
During a forum at the North Berkeley Senior Center last Wednesday, resident Elizabeth Scherer was aghast when she saw a rendering of an apartment building next door to Cheese Board pizzeria, which was a hypothetical example of what could be built under the new rules.
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