Oct. News: Middle Housing Community Mtg, Update on Homeless Encampment Policy & More

Hi Neighbor,

Happy Fall! By now, you should have received your ballot and state and local voter information guides in the mail. Please click HERE for more information on where to return your ballot by Nov. 5, visiting a vote center, and/or tracking your ballot and local election results.

Also, please mark your calendar for some festive fall events coming up. (I highly recommend the haunted house!)

In this newsletter:

• Oct. 24: Middle Housing Community Meeting
• Update on Homeless Encampment Policy
• Community Meetings for Parks

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Middle Housing Community Meeting on Oct. 24

Middle housing is often referred to as “missing” because it is not typically allowed by a city’s zoning code and—to the extent that it does exist in Berkeley—was generally built prior to the adoption of strict zoning rules in the early 1970s. The failure to create new homes to keep up with the Bay Area’s population growth has led to predictable results: rapidly increasing costs and displacement of low-income residents and people of color. We can undo this harmful legacy in our city by allowing for middle housing options in our residential neighborhoods. Unlike single-family homes, middle housing also raises funds for affordable housing, as these units would be subject to our affordable housing fee—contributing to our Affordable Housing Trust Fund that pays for new permanent affordable housing. 

What’s so great about Middle Housing?

A single-family home on a lot can be a wonderful housing option for a household that can afford to buy a Berkeley home for the median price today of $1.4 million. However, we can’t expect one housing type to meet everyone’s needs. When I have walked the residential streets of District 1 and knocked on doors, I also find people living more communally with shared outdoor space—in, for example, beautiful cottage courts, duplexes, or a main house and accessory dwelling unit (ADU or backyard cottage).Recently, I hosted a housing discussion at one such community in North Oakland known as “Radish,” where 19 adults and four young children reside in middle housing, including a duplex, fourplex, and three houses that share a communal kitchen and living room, garden and yard, and spa area, as shown.

When I visited Radish and spoke to residents, what stood out to me is that designing our homes for social connection and community can be a more joyful and easier way to live, especially for parents who report experiencing social isolation and burnout. I remember my visits to India as a child and young adult, and some of my most cherished memories are with the multigenerational households of my extended family. These households were often designed in a way that is similar to the Radish community: multiple attached units opening onto a shared terrace with a shared kitchen and living room, where cousins played, laughed and grew up together.

I understand that middle housing is not desirable for everyone. However, we are a city that stands united against hate; we embrace our LGBTQ community and diverse family structures. So why not allow our zoning code to also embrace housing diversity? It is in offering a range of housing options that we can lift up and truly embrace the other forms of diversity that we cherish in our community.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could give everyone in our community the opportunity to organize their lives in the way that best suits them? That is the vision and opportunity of Middle Housing.

We are now seeing this happen on a smaller scale with ADUs, or backyard cottages. The ADU empowers families to solve their own housing problems by creating a home for aging parents or an adult child with a family of their own—or for chosen family, friends, or a perfect stranger. In so doing, these homeowners are designing a living situation that builds social connection and a stronger sense of community. The Middle Housing Zoning Ordinance, which has been developed over a multiyear process, would allow more housing options to help people design their lives as they wish. If you’d like to learn more, please feel free to join us this Thurs., Oct. 24 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Berkeley Adult School (1701 San Pablo Ave.).

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Update on Homeless Encampment Policy

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Community Meetings for Parks