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Alert!
Radical Zoning Changes
for Berkeley’s Neighborhoods
Tuesday, April 29
City Council!
While they will be voting on the biggest changes to the City’s Zoning Ordinance since 1963, changes that will impact thousands of property owners and residents, Mayor Ishii
refused to support scheduling a special meeting. The public hearing for the zoning changes will follow two other public hearings on other issues at a regular meeting on Tuesday April 29. A vote is likely after the hearing.
What you can Do
No Notification
The last time major zoning changes were made to residential neighborhoods, every property owner whose property would be rezoned received written notification about the proposed changes and five City-run meetings were scheduled in
areas that would be affected. Property owners and residents have received no notification for the April 29 meeting; you have to check Council agendas regularly to know what’s going on.
The Agenda for the meeting, which has only been available to the public since the end of this past week, can be found here:
https://berkeleyca.gov/your-government/city-council/city-council-agendas Zoning changes are item 30, with a 209 page staff report.
Is your home in area where zoning will change?
If your property is zoned R-1 (single family), R-1A (two homes per lot), R-2 (two-family), R-2A (small multi-family and garden type apartments), the changes would apply to you.
What’s wrong with what is being proposed?
Too Many Units: The original proposal before the Council would have allowed up to four units. But the latest, more extreme version, would allow
R-1: 5 units; R-1A and R-2: 6 units; R-2A: 7 units
Density Bonus Could Add Even More Units: State density bonus law applies to properties with 5 or more units. If just one of five units is affordable to a low income household, a developer gets
a 50% bonus, which would allow them to build more units and to exceed the 3-story, 35 foot height limit. 50 foot apartment buildings could be built. Setbacks could be reduced to zero. The City staff have provided
no analysis of the impacts that the density bonus could have in conjunction with the proposed upzoning.
Extreme Lot Coverage Standards: Proposed zoning changes increase allowable lot coverage by 50%. Rear setbacks would be reduced to five feet. The result: No back yards for kids to play in, fewer trees and gardens, and a reduction in permeable
surfaces that absorb rainfall.
One Size Fits All: The same changes are proposed without considering the character of individual neighborhoods. Some blocks are entirely composed of one and two story buildings. Allowing three story buildings (and higher with a density bonus),
and allowing buildings to extend back nearly to the property line, could dramatically impact adjacent homes, especially one-story homes. Solar panels could be shadowed and access to sunlight reduced. Privacy would be reduced.
Would facilitate Gentrification: there is no requirement that any of the 5 to 7 units would be affordable to those who can’t afford new market rate units. “Missing Middle” does not mean middle income. Adding market rate apartment buildings
with higher income tenants to lower income areas would gentrify those areas
Is There a Better Alternative?
Yes. State law has already eliminated single family zoning. Berkeley could codify state law by rezoning R-1 areas as R-2 or R-2A, with the decision made on a neighborhood by neighborhood basis. It’s not necessary to create entirely new extreme zoning standards.
We could continue to have back yards and room for trees and greenery. Berkeley could rezone, as originally proposed, for 1-4 unit buildings. Property owners could have more flexibility and more housing could be built without compromising neighborhood livability
or the effectiveness of solar panels.
Learn
More Here!
Please take the time to write a unique and personal email and send it to your councilmember and to council@berkeleyca.gov
Mayor ma...@berkeleyca.gov
District 1 rkesa...@berkeleyca.gov
District 2 tta...@berkeleyca.gov
District 3 bbar...@berkeleyca.gov
District 4 itr...@berkeleyca.gov
District 5 sok...@berkeleyca.gov
District 6 bbla...@berkeleyca.gov
District 7 cluna...@berkeleyca.gov
District 8 mhum...@berkeleyca.gov
For more information, please check-out the Berkeley Neighborhoods Council
website.
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For more information:
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Neighbors
About Berkeley Together
Berkeley has a long tradition of progressive movements. Over the years, Berkeleyans have fought for building with nature, saving the bay, neighborhood preservation, housing and school equity, undergrounding BART, context and scale in the built environment,
clean water, parks and recreation. Berkeley Together strives to pursue a good and fair life for all—the best of Berkeley—in the face of new mandates and challenges.
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