Opinion: How an accessory dwelling could turn into a 20-story tower in Berkeley

At first the plan for the property a block from UC Berkeley was modest build a two-unit accessory dwelling behind a pair of small apartment buildings Since then Berkeley s zoning board has approved a dramatically different vision for the site a -story tower with apartments When complete it will be the tallest structure in Berkeley s Southside neighborhood The project s evolution captures how fast Berkeley s housing landscape can change as the city and state embrace pro-housing policies It also shows how one California group can switch its approach to solving its housing problems Related Articles San Jose property deal aims to revamp affordable apartment hub Letters Personal history could lend understanding to students East Bay apartment deal is poised to preserve site s affordable rents Vision emerges for San Jose housing towers planned for parking lot New developer tapped to build supportive housing at People s Park For years Berkeley s shortage of trainee housing near campus has caused ripples throughout the broader rental region Students were pushed to live far from campus which drove up rents citywide It s a learner housing situation within a citywide housing dilemma In Berkeley adopted a major upzoning plan for the Southside neighborhood after years of debate over how to relieve the housing shortage The rezoning campaign launched when I was a apprentice at UC Berkeley and completed during my tenure on the City Council allowed taller and denser buildings near campus The final vote was contentious A few council members proposed last-minute restrictions But a pro-housing majority advanced the plan At the same time lawmakers in Sacramento were rewriting rules to help cities grow and meet their housing necessities Changes to the state s density bonus law including Assembly Bill signed in allow developers to exceed local height limits if they include additional affordable units on site Together those reforms transformed what was doable at the Berkeley site at Durant Avenue Yes Society Architects included additional affordable homes into the project triggering the density bonus and unlocking additional height beyond Berkeley s new zoning limits But the journey to project approval has been complicated Once plans for the site were in motion the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association tried to make the existing property at the site a landmark a move consistent with its pattern of targeting sites slated for new housing The City Council unanimously rejected the landmarking attempt Now the project has its permit but an appeal has been filed When built the -story structure will undoubtedly make specific Berkeley residents uncomfortable But after decades of restricting progress the city has little standing to object Berkeley s political values has shifted slowly but decisively from resistance to responsibility That shift didn t come easily For years progress was stymied by neighborhood opposition and a city council wary of change But cycle after cycle pro-housing candidates won elections reshaping the city s politics and setting a new curriculum And on campus at UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ championed new trainee housing a cause her predecessors had neglected From Anchor House to People s Park the city s skyline is being remade by new housing for students The outcome is a city that has become one of California s the greater part surprising housing modification success stories a neighborhood that after years of hesitation is building with urgency That progress remains fragile Across the state local resistance continues to stall housing projects Perhaps it s best exemplified by the resistance of Los Angeles city leaders to the just now signed Senate Bill which encourages the enhancement of dense housing around population transit locations We have much work to do to move general consciousness around solutions to the housing predicament Berkeley s experience shows that change is manageable when local and state reforms align and when communities are willing to let go of outdated fears about improvement The new homes coming to Durant are the product of years of advocacy and persistence from residents tired of watching their friends and neighbors priced out Progress in city halls and the state Capitol can be slow But once adjustment takes hold transformation can come fast When the political will exists even a two-unit idea can grow into a -story resolution Rigel Robinson is a former Berkeley City Councilmember