Hotly debated plans to add housing in the Elmwood and North Berkeley are a step closer to approval

"A proposal to raise height limits along portions of College, Solano and northern Shattuck avenues in a bid to bring more housing to some of Berkeley's most sought-after neighborhoods is headed to the City Council, after members of the Planning Commission signed off on a limited version of the zoning changes."

"Housing advocates, including some neighborhood residents, say those worries are overblown, and see the zoning changes as a modest step to open up wealthy neighborhoods where little new housing has been built for decades. The wonderful and quaint Elmwood was not immaculately conceived it was created as an exclusive and exclusionary community, said Dav"

A proposal to increase height limits along portions of College, Solano, and northern Shattuck avenues is advancing to the City Council after Planning Commission members approved a limited version. The changes aim to add more housing in Berkeley’s most sought-after neighborhoods. Merchants and residents in the Elmwood District and North Berkeley oppose the plan, arguing it will enable development that displaces small businesses and permanently alters valued shopping areas. Critics cite fears of corporatization and point to housing-topped developments elsewhere as examples. Housing advocates respond that concerns are exaggerated and describe the proposal as a modest step toward increasing housing supply in neighborhoods that have seen little new housing for decades.

Read at www.berkeleyside.org