The Housing Trust Fund is the money the city uses to build and support affordable housing projects in Berkeley. The money can be leveraged 4-to-1 to seek outside funding. Money generally comes into the fund when developers choose not to include affordable units within their projects, or who do not include the full number of those units. Rather than building on site, they can pay a fee into the city’s Trust Fund instead.
Zoning board commissioners somewhat regretfully approved a new five-story building in South Berkeley on Thursday, noting that state law largely tied their hands as far as changes they could make to the project.
An eight-story student housing complex on Bancroft Way, to include about 330 beds, has been approved by Berkeley's zoning board right across the street from the Cal campus.
Thursday night, Berkeley's zoning board approved an 18-story mixed-use building at the downtown Walgreens site, set to bring 274 new apartments to the city.
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín hit the campaign trail last week to urge voters to support tax measures O and P to raise money for affordable housing and homeless services. He met with a tough crowd.
Arguments for Measure O contend it will cost average residents $97 a year. But those with newer houses will pay 3-10 times more over 36 years than older residents because their baseline assessment is much higher.
Developers of a six-story, 50-unit housing complex on Adeline are moving forward with plans, having bought the project property and won a lawsuit brought by neighbors last year.
A proposal for a five-story, 57-unit building in South Berkeley has come back in its latest iteration after a failed attempt in 2013 to get city approval.
Preservationists are gearing up for another battle to fight a 180-foot tower proposed above what is now a Walgreens store on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley.
The Berkeley zoning board is set to vote Thursday on whether to approve use permits for two new housing projects featuring more than 100 units between them.
Berkeley, already among the most expensive places to build in the East Bay, just raised the price tag for developers who do not include affordable units on site.
Berkeley officials voted unanimously Tuesday night to prioritize a plan to build what was described as the city's largest ever supportive housing development for the homeless.
City staff say there are too many referred projects designed to ease Berkeley's housing affordability crisis, and priorities need to be set.
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