Extra
Zoning Update: Now There Are Four
Councilmember Susan Wengraf
Wednesday March 24, 2021 - 10:25:00 PM
In my last newsletter, I reported to you about the Council item "Inclusive Neighborhood Scale Zoning," which proposed to re-zone R1 and R2 single family zoning to allow for multiple units on single family parcels in the City of Berkeley, as a means of achieving our Housing Element goals. In response, many of you took the time and trouble to write emails to the City Council and to speak at the Land Use Policy Committee Meeting. Thank you for speaking up and sharing your opinions. You were very effective. Vice-Mayor Droste withdrew the item and now has submitted a new revised item.
==The new revised item includes an improved emphasis on public safety, which is very important to all of us living in the high hazard fire area. It also includes a more detailed definition of "proximity to transit".
==However, there is a lot of misinformation and confusion about what is or is not included in the item, the impacts that it will have on our landscape, on public safety, and on our ability as a community to have input into our built environment. Because of this confusion, the proposal deserves a very transparent and robust community engagement process. I believe that it is premature for the City Council to direct staff to pursue specific zoning concepts before we have held several workshops with stakeholders throughout the city. Re-zoning and doing away with the single family zoning category is a huge change with many implications - especially in District 6, where single family zoning (R-1) is the predominant zoning north of Cedar St. There are still too many questions that need to be explored before any of us can understand the impact it will have on the many aspects of our investment in Berkeley and quality of life in the future.
==For these reasons, I am co-sponsoring this item which focuses on developing a process for community participation in the Housing Element process.
==Planning for 9,000 housing units, as allocated in the Housing Element, is a complex process. Allowing multi-unit housing throughout the city may be a good strategy, but it should be considered along with many other approaches that need to be studied and vetted.
==Let's have a community-wide discussion and consider all the many zoning concepts and planning tools before we move forward with just one or two ideas.
==Your comments were very effective when you wrote previously about this item.
==Please join the City Council meeting on Thursday, March 25th at 6pm and let your voices be heard. I need to know what you are thinking about this so I can represent you.
==To join the Zoom meeting click here.
==To join by phone: Dial 1-669-900-9128 or 1-877-853-5257 (Toll Free) and enter Meeting ID: 821 3323 3284. If you wish to comment during the public comment portion of the agenda, Press *9 and wait to be recognized by the Chair.
==You can also write an email to: council@cityofberkeley.info.
