Proposal about zoning changes

[Andrea Lappen]

Hello All

I got this from a neighbor who’s just outside our group but I thought you would be interested. It’s a proposal to lessen the impact on the zoning changes the City Council seems determined to push through despite neighborhood resistance. 

If you want you name added to his letter, email him. 

Andrea Lappen

From: John J. Parman<j2pa...@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 26, 2026 at 8:29 PM
Subject: Memo to the Mayor and Council Members

Dear neighbors,

 

At our March meeting with Council Member Blackaby, he urged us to make our opinions known to the Mayor and Council Members Humbert, O'Keefe, and Tregub. As he mentioned, the Brown Act prevents him from discussing the corridors study with them. Steve Ratcliff and I have drafted a memo to these four and Blackaby, attached. Please have a look. If you agree with it, write back with your name and street address, and I'll add you as its endorsers. 

 

As you'll see, we're proposing keeping the zoning at 3 stories, but making it apply to any use, commercial or residential. With the density bonus, 3 stories is potentially 5 or 6 - closer to projects built before the 2016+ legislation. That height is a better fit for our neighborhood, as we argue. Blackaby said he supported 4 stories, but he and the planning staff seemed to think 4 is the current allowable height. It isn't. We think 4 is too high, as it can mean 7 or 8 stories with density bonus. 

 

The next Council meeting is Friday, so we'd like to send this out on Wednesday, if possible. Thanks for your help. You are welcome, of course, to send in your own views. We hope though that a note from more of us will have more weight.

 

Yours, John

John Parman, 1428 Arch St

[Peggy Mendelson]

I believe it is ridiculous to be ruining our lovely little shopping areas that remain. They generate the tax base for our city. Downtown has become a dorm for UC Berkeley and grown ups no longer shop there. There is plenty of place to build housing along San Pablo. It is sinful that the intersection of University and San Pablo, the main entrance to the city, is in such disarray that three out of four corners have closed businesses. That is where the growth should be. Solano Avenue and College Avenue have found the right mix for shopping and should be left alone.

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[meryl siegal]

Dear LOCCNA,

You might be aware that the Planning Department is looking at the width of the streets in creating height limits.

San Pablo Avenue is the approximately same width as North Shattuck. 

If you live in our city you will support the same base heights for San Pablo Avenue as you support for North Shattuck. 

The community group I belong to, beautiful San Pablo (contact them at beautifu...@gmail.com) agrees in allowing a base height of 4-5 stories with commercial on the 1st floor in order to encourage developers to use the extra height for affordable housing.

We are against segregating and the ghettoization of low income housing. We envision SPA as an inclusive housing of different socio-economic groups in one building. We hope you will agree that inclusive housing is good for the whole city.

As you might know, there are several examples of non profit housing that need better oversight by the city. (If you want more info on this contact me and we can meet off line).Hence our desire to follow the ideas behind AB686- in reality - not lip service and build strong communities throughout Berkeley and not to re- segregate and ghettoize SPA.

We also support the ideas of spot upzoning but obviously within common sense limits. 

Finally and most importantly. The city got rid of objective design standards to encourage more housing. It is absolutely imperative to ensure windows in all rooms, setbacks, bird safe glass, places for garbage bins that are not facing the main avenue, and to encourage viable first floor commercial that will thrive before the building is constructed not after and cost businesses a lot of money. 

Let’s unite together. We support Save Our Businesses. Check their website. 

Also you might want to check Build a better Berkeley’s website,

Thank you in advance for all you do. 

Meryl

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[Margo...@sonic.net]

Thanks, see this:

Save Berkeley Shops
https://www.saveberkeleyshops.org/

Margot Smith
510-486-8010
510-660-5508 (Text)
Margo...@sonic.net

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[Peggy Mendelson]

I would like to add that this year I have seen for rent signs all year in North Shattuck. Especially student housing. I don't think there's really a housing shortage in Berkeley anymore. And there are several tall buildings such as at University and Shattuck yet to be built. I think we should leave well enough alone and focus on making San Pablo Avenue nicer. We should encourage businesses to come into those dead spots. We could encourage housing of all levels not just low income. I have noticed that the area around Alcatraz seems to be booming and yet there is no plan to take down those buildings and build high-rises. It feels like these plans are made to punish the people who live in the North part of the city

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