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UC Berkeley has been temporarily prohibited from proceeding with any demolition at People’s Park by a stay granted by the California Court of Appeal today. The stay is necessary because the UC regents refused to delay demolition at People’s Park until the trial court’s decision on the merits of a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) suit to prevent the destruction of People’s Park filed by Make UC A Good Neighbor and the Peoples Park Historic District Advocacy Group (PPHDAG).  

The trial court’s hearing is scheduled for July 29, 2022, which is less than a month from now. The suit seeks to force UC to study and to implement alternative sites for student housing, thereby preserving People’s Park. Both community organizations and many others are supportive of the UC building more student housing, but have pointed out that the university has identified numerous alternative sites that are more appropriate. People’s Park was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the park is surrounded by many other landmarked buildings. Southside lacks adequate park space and should be preserved as open space open to all residents of the city. UC has acknowledged the need for more open space, proposing instead to demolish Evans Hall on the campus and replacing it with open space, effectively walling off the new open space from the community.  

Joe Liesner, secretary of PPHDAG, said “the University has alternative properties where it could build student housing that would not require the loss of a historic landmark. People’s Park is also an important community open space. We can have student housing and trees and community recreation space. Why should we have to choose one over the other?”  

The University of California at Berkeley is presently moving homeless residents out of the park to temporary housing. UC officials have said once the park is emptied tree clearing, landscape alteration and other demolition would begin, but have refused to state when this would start. One block from People’s Park, the Channing/Ellsworth Parking Structure, which UC has designated as seismically inadequate, could easily accommodate a project at least as large as the People’s Park project.  

Harvey Smith, president of PPHDAG said, “We don’t understand why the University would choose a seismically unsafe park structure over a landmark of national importance, trees, birds and open space.” The groups have projected a vision for People’s Park that includes improved maintenance of the neglected park making it the equal of any park in the city or on the campus. Given UC’s long time failure to manage the park, the groups have suggested the historic park be adopted by California as a state park.