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Berkeley Smart Growth Tour

Berkeley's 102,000 residents enjoy a lively and diverse culture with progressive leanings and a strong sense of place. It includes inviting mixed-use neighborhoods in several different parts of town, including Solano, College, Telegraph, and Shattuck Avenues, as well as pleasant parks in the hills and by the Bay. In recent years, the downtown especially has experienced a revitalization, and more people are now working in Berkeley than in times past. But housing has not increased enough to keep up with this increase in jobs. This imbalance drives up housing prices and increases traffic and air pollution as people commute in from elsewhere. Fortunately, there is plenty of room for good housing development on underutilized sites in Berkeley, as some new developments demonstrate. This self-guided tour examines some of the interesting projects that are helping to alleviate the housing shortage and highlights amenities important to a livable community.

In the late 19th century, Berkeley merged the more conservative (at that time) area around downtown and the UC campus with the more liberal working-class town called Ocean View near San Francisco Bay. The population boomed after the San Francisco earthquake of 1906—further aided by train, streetcar and ferry lines—and neared its current level in the 1960s. In recent years, jobs near campus, downtown, and in the bustling industrial/commercial area of West Berkeley have risen sharply. Housing development lagged behind job growth for many years but has seen a recent burst of activity with many new mixed-use projects downtown, along major corridors and in the campus.

Smart growth—the topic of today's tour—is an approach to development that considers community livability and character, environmental impact, and transportation. Smart growth promotes walkable neighborhoods with homes, shops, schools and jobs in close proximity to each other and to transit so that auto travel is not necessary for most trips. Smart growth includes a range of housing types affordable to all income levels. Amenities such as creeks, pedestrian/bike paths, and parks are also important in creating livable communities.

Smart growth calls for infill development, directing new growth into existing urban and suburban communities. This can include building on a community's vacant lots, reusing underutilized sites, and rehabilitating or expanding existing buildings.

On this walk, you will see infill projects, a bike station, co-housing, and daylighting of a creek in the downtown and a more residential area to the west. Please be careful when crossing streets. You will do some moderate walking over fairly flat terrain with numerous interesting things to see.

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The Tour

Allston Oak Court GAIA Cultural Center The Berkeley Bike Station Bachenheimer Building Historic Buildings on Shattuck and Addison Artech Building Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park University Terrace Berkeley Cohousing Strawberry Creek Park Acton Courtyard University Avenue Cooperative Homes The University Lofts

The Tour

The walk begins at the Downtown Berkeley BART station. From the station, go up the escalator at the main exit. Cross Shattuck Avenue and walk up Center Street, past the side of the Games of Berkeley store, heading east toward the University of California campus. Stop about midway up the street.

The City of Berkeley a few years ago revitalized this south side of Center Street in a public-private partnership that helps create a welcoming streetscape between the BART station and a major pedestrian entrance to the UC campus.

Food for thought: What are some of the elements on this side of Center Street that are pedestrian-friendly—that make you as a pedestrian feel comfortable on this side of the street? What elements on the other side of the street would tend to make you feel less comfortable?

There are also plans for UC to build a conference center and museum in the block across Center Street that could further help revitalize this area. Local creek activists and others have been campaigning for daylighting of Strawberry Creek on Center Street, which flows down through the UC campus. This means bringing it out of its underground pipe and allowing it to flow more like a naturally occurring creek. Notice the blue line that wanders along the middle of Center Street, symbolizing an open Strawberry Creek. The accompanying images from Urban Advantage illustrate a couple of ways that this might be accomplished.

Food for thought:Do you think that this amenity would attract more people to the downtown?

Continue up Center Street to Oxford Street.

[Optional: Cross Oxford Street to the UC campus straight ahead, through which Strawberry Creek flows (on the right). Notice that the creek enters a pipe under Oxford Street, and does not emerge until below Sacramento Street (later on the tour).]

From the southeast corner of Oxford and Center, turn right on Oxford and go one block to Allston Way. Turn right and stop in front of Allston Oak Court, the fairly new building with a large oak tree in front.

1. Allston Oak Court (2161 Allston Way)

Completed in early 2002 to provide 60 rental units, ground-level retail and a public courtyard, Allston Oak Court is built on the site of a former parking lot by developer Avi Nevo and architect Jim Novosel. It has an attractive arcade but has had trouble finding tenants for the retail space. This is probably due to the fact that this street gets far less foot traffic than Center Street, which we walked up on other side of the block.

The developer's original proposal included no parking spaces, because cars are not needed at such close proximity to shopping and transit. Environmental/urban groups such as EcoCity Builders supported the proposal, but opponents said the developer could not ensure that tenants would not have cars and eventually forced the project to provide 13 parking spaces. This is still a very low parking-to-housing unit ratio compared to many cities, especially those less transit- and pedestrian-friendly. The low ratio saves valuable space, reduces building costs, and encourages occupancy by tenants who get around without a car. As we will see with the Gaia building, projects in such a location do not have nearly as much demand for tenant parking as those in far-flung locales.

Food for thought: Would you need a car much if you lived in this location? Do you think that other Bay Area communities should reconsider parking requirements for projects built a short walking distance from major transit stops, job centers, educational institutions, shopping and other urban amenities?

Carefully cross the street and head further down Allston Way to the Gaia building.

2. GAIA Cultural Center (2116 Allston Way)

Developer Patrick Kennedy of Panoramic Interests completed most of the Gaia Building's interior in 2001, with 91 rental apartments (20% of them designated as affordable) as well as space for retail and a small performance space on the first floor-where Anna's Jazz Island, a reasonably priced jazz cabaret, recently opened. The architecture hints at the Mediterranean Renaissance style of the Shattuck Hotel visible on the other side of Shattuck Avenue and includes an interesting atrium with a giant chessboard.

The proximity to downtown, BART and the university made the project an instant hit with renters, but there was considerable controversy before the project was approved due to its height (7 or 8 stories, depending on how you count), which some opponents felt was excessive. Many housing and environmental advocates strongly supported the project because it was an excellent alternative to auto-oriented sprawl and helped provide affordable housing. At a density of 267 units per acre, this building (and others like it in downtowns across the Bay Area) provides a high concentration of housing units in a desirable location, reducing the pressure to build in the greenbelt.

Food for thought: Look around downtown—are there other buildings as tall as or taller than the Gaia Building? Is it appropriate to have taller buildings in downtown centers near shopping and transit?

Look to the left (toward campus) at the parking lot that is beyond the Cancun restaurant building. This is the site for the proposed Brower Center, which would house offices, meeting rooms, gallery space, and other uses for environmental and other groups. It is named for famed conservationist David Brower, who lived in Berkeley all his life. The building would follow green building principles, including providing daylight for all interior rooms as well as solar energy panels in a sculptural array along the roofline. There would also be a 6-story mixed-use building with shops at street level and affordable living units for families—certainly a more vibrant use of the space than a parking lot. Parking spaces would be replaced in a garage beneath the complex and a public plaza would face toward campus, where UC is planning a sculpture park to replace the unattractive UC Extension building in front of the stadium. The city has gone through a long process of community meetings, studies of impacts on historical resources, and environmental review—a lengthy process, but one that is necessary to address community concerns.

Go along the front of the Gaia Building to the garage entrance (behind a black iron gate).

By peeking carefully through the portcullis on the right you can see the first-floor garage, featuring triple-stacked parking where the cars go into the basement on elevator-like platforms. This system minimizes the space dedicated to parking. There are also several electric vehicles shared by residents for local errands and spaces for City CarShare, an innovative program that rents cars to members in hourly increments. Initially the tenants did not fill all the parking spaces that the developer was required to build (much less than one space per apartment, due to the downtown location).

Continue down Allston Way to Shattuck Avenue and enter the BART station at the northeast corner of the intersection, in front of Walgreen's.

3. The Berkeley Bike Station (inside Downtown Berkeley BART)

This approximately 500-square-foot steel enclosure is located on the subterranean level of the Downtown Berkeley BART station and can accommodate 77 bicycles. Attended valet bike storage is secure and free. The facility is operated by the local nonprofit advocacy organization, Bicycle-Friendly Berkeley Coalition.

The facility's goal is to make it easy for residents to use bicycles and BART to get to their destinations. The attended station is particularly welcome to commuters, as bicycles are restricted on BART during rush hour. Other bike stations are located in Palo Alto and Long Beach and there are plans for more sites in the United States.

Food for thought: Should BART and other transit groups do more to encourage bicycling, such as providing free parking or making it easer to take bikes on the train? Should more of the transportation budget be spent to build safer routes for bikes even if this means taking money away from auto projects?

Return to up to street level on Shattuck Avenue by the same stairway and head north on Shattuck Avenue (toward Center Street/Games of Berkeley) and walk 3 blocks. Do not cross University Avenue.) The Bachenheimer Building, a fairly new building with a tower, is on the opposite side of University Avenue where the one-way northbound part of Shattuck Avenue ends.

4. Bachenheimer Building (2119 University Avenue)

This new building with its Mediterranean design is perhaps the most handsome of the new mixed-use buildings in downtown Berkeley. It provides 44 housing units, seven of which are affordable to people of low income, and includes 30 parking spaces and 3,000 square feet of office/retail space. It also features rooftop gardens. The traditional design seems in harmony with many of the historic buildings in downtown Berkeley and the tower gives a nice focus to traffic coming down Shattuck. It fits in with the scale of the adjacent historic Acheson Physicians Building. This Panoramic Interests project opened in 2004.

Turn left on University Avenue (toward the Bay) and cross Shattuck Avenue; turn left on Shattuck (the street is now one way going south). Walk one block to the corner of Shattuck Avenue and Addison Street, in front of Downtown Restaurant.

5. Historic Buildings on Shattuck and Addison

On a historical note: the space in between the two one-way segments of Shattuck Avenue was the rail terminus for the line running to Oakland. This is why Shattuck Avenue is so wide; it had steam trains running down the middle from about 1876. The photo on the right shows the corner of University and Shattuck, looking east on University.

The block to the left was originally a freight yard and then a park but was developed with buildings in 1926. An illustration of the importance of good architectural design is the attractiveness of the 1926 Art Deco landmarked buildings in the left block compared with the less appealing group of buildings of the right block, developed in the 1940s when the railway and its terminus were removed.

Behind us is the green and yellow Francis K. Shattuck Building, the first masonry building on Shattuck Avenue, constructed in 1901; at a later point the building was "modernized" with the removal of a turret and most architectural details. The upper-story residential hotel was vacant for many years, but in 1999 architect Jim Novosel restored many of the lost architectural features and added a fourth floor under a mansard roof (a roof with two slopes on each of the four sides). The traditional-style storefronts have been revived with the very popular Downtown Restaurant, which has been helped in its success by the Berkeley Arts District. The upper floors are now office space.

Across Addison Street is the beautiful 1932 Art Deco S.H. Kress Building. Due to the founder's interest in architecture, this chain of variety or "five and dime" stores included very attractive buildings in a consistent style, with slightly different details on each store. The terra cotta decorative elements are particularly noteworthy. The building was renovated several years ago with retail space available at street level.

Downtown Berkeley experienced a renaissance a few years ago but then was hit by the post dot-com economic downturn and competition from new retail complexes in Emeryville, so a number of retailers closed down. However, a significant amount of new housing has been built downtown in recent years, and a new Arts District has blossomed, including two theaters of the Berkeley Repertory Theater, the Aurora Theater, Jazz School, and Capoeira Cafe. (More projects are also planned for this area along Addison Street—which was once filled with auto body shops.) The new housing and the Arts District have fueled an upturn in the downtown commercial and retail markets. In September 2005, Half Price Books moved its Berkeley store into the spacious first floor of this building and helped restore the front façade and marquee.

Just down Addison Street to the left is the red-brick Golden Sheaf Bakery Building. Built in 1905, the bakery later became a garage and went through a period of neglect until developer Avi Nevo carried out a restoration that has made it an important part of the Arts District. The preservation and reuse of historic structures and other resources is a key element of smart growth, which helps give a community character and a sense of history—not to mention the environmental benefits of recycling buildings.

Continue down Addison Street to the white Artech Building at the southeast corner of Addison and Milvia streets (perhaps best viewed from across the street). On the way you may wish to read some of the many poems embedded in the sidewalk.

6. Artech Building (2002 Addison Street)

Artech is another Panoramic Interests mixed-use building, with 21 residential units, four for very-low-income tenants. On the second floor is CTP, a nonprofit educational organization for handicapped persons. An innovative food emporium called "Kolo" has moved into the first floor. The building also features rooftop gardens and an attractive garage portcullis. The developer says, however, that the feature that gets the most interest is the sculpture of the salamander on the wall. Also notice the mosaics on the first-floor wall and the accompanying street furniture.

Turn left on Milvia Street. Go one block and then turn right on Center Street. Walk past the side of the large Civic Center Building, perhaps passing through the farmers' market on Center Street if it is a Saturday morning/afternoon.

7. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park (enclosed by Center Street, Allston Way, Milvia Street, and Martin Luther King, Jr. Way) and Berkeley Farmers' Market

On Saturday from about 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. the Berkeley Farmers' Market, run by the Ecology Center, takes place in the middle of Center Street (which is closed off to traffic for the market). The farmers' market is a popular community gathering place with an emphasis on organic produce, and it often coincides with festivals and other community events. Farmers' markets provide city dwellers with fresh, locally grown food, and by supporting local farmers, market shoppers keep farms financially viable and protect the greenbelt from sprawl development.

Now take a look at the adjacent park. This park is not very well used by the general citizenry unless there is a special event. The city has finalized a plan for park improvements, including restoring the central fountain. This is a very good step; however, Jane Jacobs—an astute writer on urban design issues—pointed out that small plazas and public parks need a variety of surrounding uses to be successful, so that people have reasons to cross the park at different times of the day. Hopefully the expansion of Vista Community College, new housing downtown, and other measures will help bring added vitality to the park.

Cross the park diagonally toward the southwest (diagonally away from the corner where you entered). Then cross Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. at the signal and continue walking west (toward the Bay) on Allston Way). Walk about five blocks to the corner of California Street and Allston Way.

8. University Terrace (2139 California Street)

The University of California built 75 condominium residences in 1993 for $16 million to house university faculty and other employees. Despite a real-estate slump, and the perception among UC employees was that it was too far from campus, the project was subsequently fully occupied as Bay Area housing costs soared. It is built on the site of a former Catholic high school and reuses one of the educational buildings in the design. It also preserves some large mature trees and has an attractive shared open space as well as small fenced-in garden plots. The townhouse-style units on each side interlock in an interesting manner. Parking is mainly in a modest-sized lot at the far side, which may be a bit less convenient, but it allows for more gardens and greenery rather than auto-oriented pavement.

Enter through the green trellis on the right and follow the path to the left along the townhouse fences and parallel to California Street to see the nicely landscaped interior of the development. As the path curves to the left, exit through the fence and around the big spruce tree back to California Street.

On California Street, go left and walk back to Allston Way. Turn right, and walk two more blocks west to Sacramento Street. Cross at the signal and then turn left on Sacramento about 100 steps or so to:

9. Berkeley Cohousing (2220 Sacramento Street) Please do not disturb residents by going beyond the Sacramento sidewalk.

Completed in 1997, this development includes fourteen privately owned units constructed on a three-quarter-acre lot with common areas and collaborative management. There may be a pamphlet on the cohousing movement near the parking lot entrance. Cohousing began in Denmark and has spread to the United States with the idea of building "intentional" communities—in which residents may share meals, chores, facilities, and management responsibilities—and using land and resources more efficiently.

The project also features composting, permaculture and other environmentally-friendly design features. Each unit has its own kitchen but there is a large community kitchen and meeting area where residents take turns preparing and sharing meals several times a week. There are more than 25 cohousing communities in California alone with several others in the Bay Area and more in the planning stage.

Food for thought: What are the advantages and disadvantages of such a living arrangement? In what ways might cohousing projects help conserve the Bay Area environment and develop more livable communities?

Retrace your steps back to Allston Way, cross the street and turn left, heading west again on Allston Way. Just past the white fence on the right, between the houses at 1435 and 1431 Allston Way, see where Strawberry Creek emerges from its culvert for the first time since going underground at the edge of downtown.

Continue along Allston Way to the end, and bear right into Strawberry Creek Park. Follow the path to the right until you come to the bridge over the creek.

10. Strawberry Creek Park (east of Bonar Street at Allston Way)

Hard as it may be to believe, this is the site of a former Santa Fe railway yard. The project was promoted by community activists and developed by the city using funds from Measure Y, a bond passed by voters in 1974. The park was dedicated on November 5, 1983. The landscape design received the highest Environmental Planning Award in a Neighborhood Park category from the California Parks and Recreation Society in 1984. The park includes the Berkeley Youth Alternatives site, community gardens, a playground, and basketball and tennis courts. In a pioneering effort, a block-long section of Strawberry creek was daylighted, or returned from a culvert to a more open and natural state, in 1983. Some of the concrete from the old railway site was used as bank erosion control. As you walk through the park beyond the bridge, note how the old brick industrial-area buildings have been reused for cafes, offices, and artists' studios.

Food for thought: At the same time that we are working to save natural areas outside of cities, do you think cities should put emphasis on paths, creeks, parks and other natural areas inside cities? What particular kinds of urban amenities would you like to see in your community or neighborhood?

This is the formal end of the tour.

1. If you would like to return to your starting point on a more quiet route along residential streets, turn right and walk east on Addison Street. When you reach Shattuck Avenue, walk one block to the right to return to the main BART entrance.
2. If you want to see more new mixed-use and higher density residential buildings, turn right on Addison Street and then left on Acton Street, which takes you to University Avenue. On the corner on your left is:

11. Acton Courtyard (1392 University Avenue)

Panoramic Interests, which constructed the Gaia Building and several others on the tour, built a five-story mixed-use project with 71 rental apartments (20% affordable) and 8,000 square feet of retail on the former abandoned site of a state laboratory.

Turn right and walk up University Avenue (toward downtown and the hills) past Andronico's until you come to a building with "University Avenue Cooperative Homes" on the wall above the entrance to the Addison Walk.

12. University Avenue Cooperative Home (1471 Addison Street)

This residential development includes the rehabilitation of eight apartments and five small houses as well as the construction of 34 new units. Residents are low-income seniors, families or disabled persons living with attendants.

Food for thought: Do you think that rehabilitation and reuse of older buildings is preferable, whenever feasible, to the tear down/ build new strategy that prevailed in previous redevelopment efforts? When might complete rebuilding be preferable?

Continue to the intersection and at the signal, carefully cross Sacramento and then proceed up University Avenue (toward the hills), about three blocks. Just as you cross Grant Street look across to the opposite side of University for:

13. The University Lofts (1801 University Avenue; Youth Radio Café is on the first floor at the corner of the building)

This is a mixed-use development consisting of retail (café, Talavera Ceramics, and Youth Radio), 28 residential condos (of which seven are designated affordable), a private second-floor courtyard and stacked parking in the garage. It was endorsed by the Greenbelt Alliance Compact Development Team during the planning stage and completed in 1997.

Food for thought: Should the pattern of providing a certain percentage of affordable units be more widely encouraged or mandated in Bay Area housing developments?

Continue on up University Avenue and turn right on Shattuck to return to Berkeley BART. You may also want to sample the wide range of cafés and restaurants and visit one of the many locally owned shops found in downtown Berkeley, or walk back through the blossoming Arts District on Addison Street between Shattuck Avenue and Milvia Street.

Thank you for joining us on the walk!