The Berkeley City Council has approved an ordinance allowing the construction of small apartment buildings on residential lots, targeting flatland neighborhoods. This middle housing ordinance will allow for eight-unit, three-story buildings on typical lots, complementing existing accessory dwelling units. Exempting the Berkeley Hills from these changes due to wildfire risks, the Council hopes this move will alleviate housing prices and combat the historic segregation tied to single-family zoning. The planning officials project about 1,700 new housing units from these regulations over the next eight years, marking the end of a long effort toward regulatory change.
The Berkeley City Council unanimously approved a middle housing ordinance aimed at facilitating the building of small apartment buildings throughout the city's flatland neighborhoods.
Advocates aim for the new regulations not only to increase the housing supply but also to address the racial and economic segregation arising from the legacy of single-family zoning.
The ordinance permits constructing eight-unit, three-story buildings on typical 5,000-square-foot parcels, alongside existing accessory dwelling units allowed by state law.
City officials expect these new regulations will generate approximately 1,700 new housing units in Berkeley over the next eight years, tackling historic zoning limitations.
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