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Yearlong debate on building comes to a head
An issue that has been the subject of debate for more than a year in the community will come to the City Council tonight: a proposal to build a four-story commercial and residential building at 2700 San Pablo Ave.
The council will hold a public hearing on an appeal of the Zoning Adjustment Board’s decision to deny a use permit for the building.
The developers, Patrick Kennedy’s Panoramic Interests and the nonprofit Jubilee Restoration, are appealing the decision, claiming that the ZAB improperly found the building incompatible with the neighborhood.
The developers’ proposal is for a four-story structure with 48 units of housing, five of which would be designated for low-income tenants. There would be about 5,500 square-feet of commercial space on the ground floor.
In November, the ZAB denied the permit by a vote of 7-0 with two abstentions. The proposed design of the 44,300-square-foot building is too dense and too tall, ZAB members said.
The developers argue the plan conforms to the West Berkeley Plan, which calls for increased housing and more neighborhood oriented businesses.
The Neighbors for Responsible Development, formed primarily of neighbors of the proposed site, submitted a petition with 400 signatures of people who support housing on the site but argue that the building is too large.
They say the neighborhood primarily consists of one and two-story homes and the proposed project is too dense and out of scale to its surroundings.
Councilmember Mim Hawley said that she will recuse herself from the council’s discussion and vote on the issue at the request of the City Attorney. Hawley may have a conflict of interest because of projects she was involved in while an AC Transit director.
The council generally does not make a decision on the night of a public hearing.
Compassionate treatment of the homeless
The council will address the question of a proposed moratorium in Berkeley on the state law which makes sleeping in public places illegal. The proposal also asks the city manager to look for ways to fund detox programs, places for the homeless to stay during the day, rainy-day vouchers, storage facilities and adequate shelter beds.
Office development moratorium
Another issue will be a moratorium on new office development in west Berkeley. The Planning Commission recommended the council enact a one-year moratorium on office development in the Mixed Use-Light Industrial District, also known as the MULI, in west Berkeley.
The staff report on the recommendation says the moratorium should remain in effect until the impact of the growing number of offices on blue-collar jobs, and on artists and artisans can be determined.
Another concern is increased traffic congestion posed by more offices.
The council report, approved by Planning Commission Chair Rob Wrenn, said that 348,821 square feet of office space has been developed in the MULI in the last three years.
Consent Calendar
An item on the consent calendar – items generally approved by the council unanimously and without discussion – asks that the Planning Department adopt policy guidelines for development projects that include complete descriptions and renderings of the buildings’ height, mezzanines, elevators and all accessory structures before they are submitted for approval.
Also on the consent calendar is a resolution to extend the comment period on the Draft General Plan for two weeks until May 1.
1301 Oxford St.
The council will likely schedule two public hearings related to the proposed 35,000 square-foot Beth El Synagogue at 1301 Oxford St.
The public hearings will assist the council in reconciling opposing decisions by two different permit boards. One was the Zoning Adjustments Board’s decision on March 8 to approve a use permit for the development and the other was the Landmark Preservation Commission’s decision on March 5 denying an alteration permit, which would set the stage for the demolition of two existing building standing in the way of the project’s construction.
Both of the decisions have been formally appealed by the Beth El congregation and the Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association. LOCCANA has strongly opposed project. Its members say the development will preclude the Codornices Creek, which runs through a culvert of the property, from ever being daylighted. They also say the synagogue would increase parking and traffic problems in the neighborhood.
At last week’s City Council meeting the council unanimously approved mediation for the two parties in the hopes they could reach a compromise.
Berkeley Housing Authority
The Berkeley Housing Authority will hold a meeting at 6:30 p.m. immediately before the regular City Council meeting. The BHA will likely approve rental subsidies for the Section 8 Choice Voucher Program that will go into effect on May 1.
BHA approval will raise section 8 rents on all qualifying units from studios to six bedroom apartments.
According to a letter included with the BHA report to council, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department has already approved the rental increases.
The BHA will also hear a progress report on the authority’s efforts to award Section 8 certificates to a waiting list of 1,592 applicants.
The Housing Department report informs the BHA that recently hired BHA interim manager Sheila Maxwell has submitted her resignation.
Executive session
The City Council will hold a closed session meeting with representatives of the Berkeley Police Union. There will be time for public comment prior to the closed session.
The closed door will be held at 2180 Milvia St. on the fifth floor at 5:30 p.m., with 10 minutes of public comment available before the session.
The City Council meeting and the Berkeley Housing Authority Meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. The BHA meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. followed by the City Council meeting at 7 p.m.
The BHA and the City Council meeting will be broadcast live on KPFA Radio 89.3 and Cable B-TV (Channel 25).
Judith Scherr of the Daily Planet staff contributed to this article.
