Page One

To the Editor: 

One who lives in a glass house should not throw stones. Howie Muir, co-author and champion of the Berkeley height initiative lives in one of the “big bulkies” he reviles. Not in an absolute sense, but in a relative sense. His place rises a full story and a pitched roof above the one-story houses that constitute probably 95 percent of his neighborhood.  

But Muir is not all misrepresentation. All one-story buildings block each others views of the bay, as would all two-story buildings in a neighborhood of two-story buildings or all uniform height buildings in any neighborhood. When Muir points out that a wall of four-story buildings along San Pablo would block his view – a view he has only from his rooftop anyway – I agree. This is one of the reasons some people favor “centers-oriented” development over corridors, and why, to get enough housing in the city to make any real difference, some of us support somewhat taller buildings in downtown. Centers around the Ashby BART Station and the west Berkeley center around University Avenue, from San Pablo to the Southern Pacific train stop. Such centers make transit work much better and get people out of their cars. The best city arrangement would be mainly “centers-oriented” development with corridors emphasized within the centers having even greater density. The corridors should not connect continuously from center to center. We should be able to see around the centers and the centers themselves should be interesting architecture with roof and terrace planting to make them appear something like natural hills. Also, “centers-oriented” development leaves room for restoration of waterways and other natural features whereas corridors of medium density, say four stories, create a much more expensive barrier to remove one day when we recognize the value of opening creeks and retaining views from higher places. This sounds a little complex, but it uses the best of both “corridors-oriented” and “centers-oriented” development. 

If you think it’s worthwhile to consider such things and try innovative approaches to solving today’s housing and environmental problems, you better vote against the Berkeley height initiative in November. 

Richard Register 

Berkeley