Page One

Retrofit threatens recycling center

By Josh Parr Daily Planet Staff
Thursday September 28, 2000

As UC Berkeley retrofits its campus, and looks for space to house displaced students and staff, the “surge” is being felt far from the campus. 

The small nonprofit East Bay Depot for Creative Re-use rents space at the university-owned Marchant Building on San Pablo Avenue, where Berkeley, Oakland  

and Emeryville come together. The  

university has decided not to renew the  

Re-use Depot’s lease. 

In 1997, a university study deemed numerous buildings “dangerous for life safety.” Space to move departments housed in those buildings is scarce. The City Council is currently locked in battle with the university over its plan to build replacement class and office space and add parking on university-owned land at Hearst Avenue and Oxford Street. 

“We need surge space,” said Irene Hegarty, campus spokesperson, referring to the temporary quarters such retrofitting requires. 

Department migration to available surge space is threatening the Depot’s lease. 

Established in 1979, the award-winning Berkeley institution designs products from used materials, turning headboards, for example, into “raised (gardening) beds.” It provides art materials for artists and teachers and sells refurbished furniture. 

“As of Jan. 1, our lease ends,” said Depot Director Linda Rinna Levitsky. “We don’t have new housing yet.” 

Last week, Levitsky thought that she had secured a new site, and asked the City Council to guarantee rent to the prospective landlord. But the deal fell through, so Levitsky withdrew her request. 

“I’m not sure why they chose against us, but they seemed concerned about the ability of a nonprofit group to pay the monthly rent, which is why we had to go to the City Council and ask for a guarantee,” Levitsky said. 

As a last resort Levitsky delivered a letter Wednesday to the university, asking that the lease be extended for 18 months, with an option for six months during which time the Depot would pay double the current 96 cents-per-square-foot rent. The letter also said that the Depot would actively seek alternative space during this period. 

Marie Felde, campus spokesperson, said the university received the letter, and came back with a different proposal.  

“What we have offered, is to allow the Depot to keep its space on a month to month basis at market rates, which is $1.75 per square foot. Both parties would have a 90-day notice period before ending the relationship,” Felde said. 

But paying market rates is difficult for a re-use center which sells much of its recyclables to teachers, a sector of society which is not reaping the benefits of the booming California economy, Levitsky said. 

“I suppose that what would have to happen is that we could close a third of our store and go bare bones. But I really don’t know,” she said. 

“Paying market rates would totally undermine our business plan now, after five years of building this into a viable and prosperous re-use outlet. I’m watching it go into a very shaky position. All nonprofit groups are facing the same situation unless they have a 15 year lease or own their property. Prices are just skyrocketing.” said Levitsky. 

But the times have changed.  

“Limited building inventory is pressuring rents dramatically,” said Michael Caplan, downtown coordinator for the Office of Economic Development. “In Berkeley, we’ve hit capacity. There’s no space anywhere.” 

When the lease was first offered to the Re-use Depot, it was offered as a “community service,” Hegarty said. “We have been offering that space to the Depot at below market rates as a community service for the last five years now.” 

“Now, the university is tight on space, and there is quite a bit of movement around campus. The Depot space would be used to house our staff.” 

Levitsky however, said that the entire second floor of the Marchant Building is vacant, and questions the need to take over the whole building. 

“If there were offices in use by UC on the second floor, and they needed more space, I guess I’d see more of a reason for them not to renew our lease,” she said. “But there is other space that they can occupy before they occupy this building.” 

For now, the tenuous hold on space will have to suffice until a permanent home can be found. 

“We would be willing to work with anyone we can to find the depot a permanent home,” added Levitsky.