Extra

From the photo caption on Berkeleyside.com: "The Pacific School of Religion and an Illinois-based nonprofit builder have nixed their plans to build 265 apartments for seniors on Holy Hill, citing Berkeley’s new development climate.“

Correct translation: PSR and an Illinois corporation have dropped their plans for expensive sort-of-kind-of-condo units with high monthly ”maintenance” fees, proposed in a dense and massive multi-story facility which would have obliterated a large part of Berkeley’s Holy Hill neighborhood.

Comment: No doubt the losers in Berkeley’s recent city elections will try to spin the PSR retrenchment as a loss of more “housing" but it’s not. While there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with an up-scale continuing care facility, it definitely is not what is being described in the news. And it’s definitely not a development which would help relieve the housing problems of Berkeley, especially for the neediest among students and low income.