The shortage of homes that are affordable for young people, families, and seniors makes it extremely difficult for new or returning neighbors to be a part of our community. This shortage of homes that are affordable is a regional problem, and I believe that Berkeley should be a leader in helping to solve this crisis.
I’m proud to lead the City’s efforts to comply with a new state law (AB 2923) that gives BART the ability to develop its parking lots. I believe it’s in our interest to work collaboratively with BART to ensure that we can create homes that are affordable for low- and moderate-income households–in a manner that fits the scale and character of the surrounding neighborhood as much as possible.
To date, the following meetings and events have taken place:
✓ Community Meeting in March 2018 held at the Adult School to present the concept to the community.
- Presentation by Mayor Jesse Arreguín and former Councilmember Linda Maio
- BART Presentation
- Video of the Community Meeting (courtesy of Berkeley Community Media)
✓ Visioning Event in October 2018 held at the N. Berkeley Senior Center
To view the visioning ideas, please click here.
✓ City Council Work Session in January 2018 to consider zoning for the site.
To watch the meeting and view presentation materials, click here.
The City Council held a Special Meeting in May 2019 to:
- Adopt the proposed North Berkeley BART Goals and Objectives, as submitted by Mayor Arreguin and Councilmember Kesarwani at the May 9, 2019 meeting, and further revised as noted below, to inform the development of a Memorandum of Understanding with BART and future project planning;
- Direct the City Manager to engage with BART to develop an MOU that outlines the project planning process including feasibility analysis, project goals, and roles and responsibilities; and direct that the MOU return to Council for adoption;
- Refer to the Planning Commission to study development of zoning for the site, including feedback on the conceptual land use scenarios developed by City staff (as per direction of the January 15 Worksession).