The newly proposed Middle Housing ordinance in Berkeley aims to facilitate the construction of three-story buildings on existing lots to increase housing availability for middle-income earners. Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani advocates for the initiative, citing a vision for a community that offers more housing options. However, this proposal raises concerns among residents about potential community disruption, loss of working-class families, and transformation into high-density areas, moving away from Berkeley's traditional low-rise character. The debate reflects a balancing act between addressing housing needs and preserving community identity.
The goal is to think about the future of our city and what kind of community we want to be. I believe that we need to be a city that has housing opportunities for our middle-class workers.
What is middle housing getting us, besides what I fear is the opportunity for basically really large profiteering companies to come and strip our neighborhood of the community that we have?
Berkeley city officials are turning what used to be a beautiful, low-rise, human-scaled city into an ugly warren of high rises and massive buildings stretching relentlessly from the Oakland border to the Albany border.
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