Extra

To Whom It May Concern,

The following event listing is rife with misleading and/or erroneous information, and we hope it will be corrected as quickly as possible. We also expect any future reporting about 1921 Walnut to be factual and accurate

http://berkeleydailyplanet.com/issue/2020-08-01/contact

Please allow me to reiterate a few, key facts about 1921 Walnut that we have consistently conveyed to media…to residents of the building…and to the City of Berkeley: 

• There is no imminent action planned for the property. Residents will be allowed to remain in their units for some time as the University is contemplating the development of the entire block but has not yet decided to demolish the building.
• While the University is preparing a relocation plan, relocation will not actually commence unless and until the campus moves forward with a plan to demolish the building, which does not exist at present.
• For eligible residents, relocation offers could include payment for moving expenses and financial assistance for rental or purchase costs of a replacement dwelling. Relocation assistance packages would, among other things, factor in household income, costs of comparable housing, and moving expenses. The amount of assistance would take into account the circumstances of each household.

"UC Berkeley is pleased to confirm that the Helen Diller Foundation is the heretofore anonymous donor working with the campus on a new student housing project. The campus has no additional information to share about the project beyond that which is included in this publicly available memo that was provided to the UC Regents’ Finance and Capital Strategies Committee in January 2020. 

The foundation has asked that we share the following statement with interested journalists and members of the public who inquire about the project: 

The Helen Diller Foundation is pleased to be working with UC Berkeley to address the student housing crisis. This collaborative effort represents the continuation of a long-standing relationship between the Diller family and the campus, dating back to when Sanford and Helen Diller were undergraduates at the university. The foundation sees this planned investment as an embodiment of its deep belief in, and support for, public higher education in general, and UC Berkeley in particular. The foundation will be pleased to share additional information and answer questions about the project when plans are finalized, prior to the start of construction.” 

Sincerely, 

Dan Mogulof 

Asst. Vice Chancellor 

Office of Communications and Public Affairs 

UC Berkeley 

(m) 510-919-6954