Category Archives: Real estate
Historical north Berkeley corner is renovated
Update, 04.10.11: Commenting on this story, several readers have mentioned Ninepatch, a store which served the community for 36 years in this building. Pam Zelnik, daughter of the store’s founder, sent in a photo of the shop, which you can find at the foot of the piece.
Update, 4:40pm: Because this story provoked a lively discussion about the architectural renovation under way for this building, we are publishing some additional photographs of the building in its pre-remodeling state, as well as some more renderings from the architect of what the finished result will be like. They can be found at the foot of the story…
The building at the corner of El Dorado Avenue and Sutter Street, near the entrance to the Northbrae Tunnel, has been through myriad incarnations. And now it is undergoing an overdue renovation with a new purpose in mind.
Berkeley architect David Trachtenberg is working with Kaufman Construction, another Berkeley business, to transform the neglected structure into a 7,900 sq ft office building with two retail spaces on the first floor. The $3.2 million re-build will create offices to house Tom Sawyer Software which is moving its headquarters to Berkeley from Oakland. There is no news yet on who will occupy the stores.
Lotus founder may yet build his Berkeley home
A group of north Berkeley residents who are trying to prevent Lotus founder and philanthropist Mitch Kapor and his wife from building a new home in the city lost their case which was heard in the Alameda County Superior Court early last month.
On Thursday, Judge Frank Roesch ruled against the Berkeley Hills Preservation (BHP) group whose attorney, Susan Brandt-Hawley, had argued that the city of Berkeley should not have given Kapor approval to build a 6,478 sq ft … Continue reading »
Measure R: Future direction of Berkeley’s downtown?
There’s no issue more contentious on the November 2 ballot than Measure R, the advisory measure that establishes a new downtown plan.
Measure R, placed on the ballot by the City Council after Berkeley residents collected enough signatures to force a previous downtown plan to a vote, sets new guidelines on growth and development in the downtown area.
With its call to permit five new high rises in an expanded downtown core, Measure R has either been touted as Berkeley’s environmentally-friendly solution to suburban sprawl and urban blight or accused of spurring the Manhattanization of Berkeley. And with the news that a company headed by Chicago developer Sam Zell has made the largest single donation to the Yes on R campaign (his Equity Residential company contributed $25,000) opponents contend they have discovered the smoking gun that proves that bad intentions (read profit) is the motivator behind Measure R.
As in all election measures that prompt an excess of hyperbole, many of these claims go too far. And each also holds a kernel of truth.
Here is Berkeleyside’s attempt to examine the most controversial aspects of Measure R:
What Measure R means: It is important to note that Measure R is an advisory measure meant to provide general guidelines. If it passes, the City Council would then direct staff to draw up a detailed downtown plan, which the City Council would then adopt or reject after a series of public hearings. There would be additional time for residents of Berkeley to express their opinions about the plan.
If Measure R fails, the city can continue to operate under its existing plan, adopted in 1990. Or the council could try and adopt a new plan on its own.
What opponents of Measure R say: They contend that the measure is too vague to adopt.
What supporters of Measure R say: This is a set of policy guidelines meant to give the council direction. The City Council will follow those directions as they move forward to write the actual plan.
Height limits
Under the current downtown plan adopted in 1990, the area defined as “downtown” is centered around the Berkeley Bart station. It permits construction of buildings up to 65 feet. If a developer uses the city’s “cultural bonus” provision and adds a performing space on the ground floor of a building, he or she can build up to 89 feet. If a developer also uses the “state density bonus” by making 35% of its residential units “affordable,” he or she can build up to 117 feet. The Arpeggio building on Center Street is an example of a structure that used both the bonuses.
Under Measure R, the area defined as “downtown” will be expanded to run from Hearst to Dwight streets and from MLK to Oxford/Fulton streets. Buildings in this core area will generally have a 60-foot height limit, with some exceptions. Developers can apply for a permit to build to 75 feet on Shattuck between Hearst and Haste, and on University from Oxford to Milvia. However, developers building to this height will waive their right to apply for extra height under the “state density bonus,” The cultural bonus will be eliminated.
Under Measure R, the city will also permit the construction of five high rises in the downtown core. Three of these can be 180 feet high (height of the Great Western Building or about 15 stories high) and must be located within a one-block radius of the downtown BART station. Two must be residential towers and one must be a hotel. The city will also permit development of two towers of 120 feet. (These would be about 10 stories high). These could be either residential or office space.
What supporters of Measure R say: Increasing the density of the downtown core is the most environmentally friendly position. It will bring people downtown to live, reduce suburban sprawl, and get them out of their cars. The new condos will attract empty nesters and affluent professionals, which will in turn attract new retail.
Opponents of Measure R say: The new high rises won’t solve Berkeley’s housing supply problems because it only encourages housing for the rich. There is already enough student housing downtown, and a city economic feasibility study suggests that new condos would have to sell in the $700,000 to $1 million range to be economically feasible for developers. This is too expensive for average people.
Supporters of Measure R say: To build the 180-foot buildings, the measure requires developers either to set aside 20% of their units as affordable or pay into a city housing trust.
Opponents of Measure R say: The expanded definition of the downtown core, coupled with the possibility of building five high rises, will push tall buildings into new areas. They won’t be clustered around the downtown BART station. Sam Zell’s Equity Residential, for instance, has applied for a permit to create 200 units of housing in six buildings on University Avenue between Shattuck and Walnut. The project will be known as Acheson Commons.
Currently, the height limit in that area is 60 feet. If Measure R is adopted, Equity Residential could apply to build one of the 120-foot towers, bringing a high rise to a new area of the city, according to Susan Cerny, a board member of the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association and an opponent of Measure R. That’s why Sam Zell has donated so generously to the Yes on R campaign, said Cerny. If it passes, the value of his real estate will increase significantly, she said.
Measure R does not specify where any of the 120-foot high rises can and should be built, according to Matt Taecker, a principal planner for the city. If passed by the voters, that detail will be determined by the City Council. However, the EIR prepared for the May 2010 version of the downtown area plan does extend the possible location of 120-foot high rises to Hearst Street, so Cerny appears to be correct in stating that Equity Residential could probably try to build a tower, said Taecker. But it wouldn’t be the first high rise north of University. UC Berkeley is already building the 100-foot Helios Building nearby on Berkeley Way. The 180-foot high rises would be restricted to within a one-block area around BART.
Discount sports store to take over Berkeley Iceland
Sports Basement, a discount sports store with four branches in the Bay Area, is taking over Berkeley Iceland, according to informed sources.
The retail store plans to cover the ice rink and set up displays of athletic shoes, skis, bikes, camping gear and other equipment.
Sports Basement chose the location because it is opposite some playing fields, much like its location across from Crissy Field in San Francisco.
The news comes as a disappointment … Continue reading »
Retail sales in Berkeley decline by $200 million
During the last two years, retail sales in Berkeley have dropped by nearly $200 million, prompting the closure of many stores and leaving numerous vacant storefronts, according to information gathered by the city’s Office of Economic Development.
While the recession is partly responsible, the drop also reflects the impact of some of Berkeley’s long-term planning decisions. The city has focused on creating boutique shopping districts like the Elmwood and Solano Avenue in lieu of creating malls that can hold big-box … Continue reading »
Message to renters and landlords: you have rights
Berkeleyside contributing writer Kim Weisberg has been chronicling her search for a new home on Berkeleyside, reporting on lessons learned and listing scams, among other things. Recently she found a condo she and her partner loved in the Adam’s Point neighborhood of Lake Merritt and signed a rental agreement. Before they moved in, however, there was the little matter of settling a dispute with their Berkeley landlord.
Berkeley (like many university-oriented cities) has a reputation … Continue reading »
Berkeley 94703: the hottest zip code in the nation?
Berkeley’s 94703 zip cost is the “hottest” in the nation according to a story today in today’s San Francisco Chronicle.
This central slice of Berkeley — which runs from Hopkins to the north and Alcatraz to the south, roughly sandwiched on the west and east sides by Sacramento and MLK Jr Way — came out on top in a survey that looked for neighborhoods where homes sold above their asking prices in the second quarter of … Continue reading »
Pick of the listings: Leola Hall home on Stuart Street
Leola Hall designed the 1909 Craftsman style brown-shingle house that is up for sale at 2806 Stuart Street in the Elmwood.
The three-bedroom, 1.5 bathroom home has lots of historic features including the original brick fireplace. It was last sold in March 2006 for $1,103,000 and — in a sign of the times — is now priced at $859,000. (A hearing is underway to seek a permit to make the home’s small backyard building habitable.)
Pick of the listings: A mid-mod in the hills
At first glance, I thought that was a little helipad in the backyard of this freshly listed mid-century modern house at 626 Vistamont Avenue. On reflection it’s probably where a hot tub might be placed, under the trees with sylvan view to boot. Either way, this looks like an intriguing property.
There’s the setting — a 20,000 sq ft lot of greenery and trees, with hill views — and the architecture. The house was built in 1959 and … Continue reading »
Dwight office building now a credit to the ‘hood
Why this picture of a plain office building on Dwight Way, you may ask?
Well it’s precisely because the building is looking so unblemished that it warrants attention.
In January we reported on the copious amounts of graffiti that had turned this corner building on Dwight and Fulton into an eyesore and a blight on the landscape (see photo below). By April there had been a significant improvement with a major clean-up operation having removed the majority of the scrawls.
