How a CA accessory dwelling becomes a 20-story tower

By Rigel Robinson, especially for CalMatters

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Originally, the plan for the property a block from UC Berkeley was modest: to build a two-unit addition behind a pair of small apartment buildings.

The Berkeley Zoning Board has since approved a dramatically different vision for the site: a 20-story tower with 169 apartments. When completed, it will be the tallest building in Berkeley’s Southside neighborhood.

The project’s development captures how quickly Berkeley’s housing landscape can change as the city and state adopt housing policies. It also shows how a California community can change its approach to solving its housing problems.

For years, Berkeley’s near-campus student housing shortage has sent ripples through the broader rental market. Students were forced to live far from campus, which drove up rents across the city.

It’s a housing crisis for students in a citywide housing crisis.

In 2023, Berkeley adopted a a master plan to redevelop the Southside neighborhoodafter years of debate over how to ease the housing shortage. The rezoning campaign, started when I was a student at UC Berkeley and completed during my term on the City Council, allowed taller and denser buildings near campus.

The the final vote was disputed. Some council members suggested restrictions at the last minute. But the pro-housing majority pushed the plan forward.

At the same time, lawmakers in Sacramento were rewriting the rules to help cities grow and meet their housing needs. Changes to state density bonus law, including Assembly Bill 1287signed in 2023, allow developers to exceeds local height restrictions if they include additional accessible units on site.

Together, these reforms transformed what was possible at the Berkeley site, at 2425 Durant Avenue. Yes Duffy Architects included additional affordable homes in the project, triggering the density bonus and unlocking additional height beyond Berkeley’s new zoning restrictions.

But the road to the approval of the project was complicated.

Once plans for the site were in motion, the Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association sought to convert the existing property on the site into a landmark, a move consistent with the pattern of targeting sites earmarked for new housing.

The city council unanimously rejected the marking attempt. The project now has a permit, but an appeal has been filed.

When built, the 20-story structure will undoubtedly make some Berkeley residents uncomfortable. But after decades of curbing growth, the city has little reason to object.

Berkeley’s political culture shifted, slowly but surely, from resistance to responsibility. This change did not come easily.

For years, progress was stymied by neighborhood opposition and a city council wary of the changes. But cycle after cycle pro-housing candidates won elections, reshaping city politics and charting a new course.

And on the UC Berkeley campus, Chancellor Carol Crist protect new student housinga cause which her predecessors had neglected. from Anchor House to People’s Parkthe city skyline is being redeveloped by new housing for students.

The result is a city that has become one of California’s most surprising housing reform success stories: a community that, after years of hesitation, is building with urgency.

This progress remains fragile. Across the state, local resistance continues to stall housing projects. Perhaps this is best illustrated by the resistance of Los Angeles city leaders to the recently signed Senate Bill 79which encourages the development of dense housing around public transport locations.

We have a lot of work to do to shift public awareness to solutions to the housing crisis.

Berkeley’s experience shows that change is possible when local and state reforms are aligned and when communities are willing to let go of outdated fears about growth. The 169 new homes coming to 2425 Durant are the product of years of advocacy and persistence by residents tired of watching their friends and neighbors get priced out.

Progress at city halls and the state Capitol can be slow. But once reform takes hold, transformation can happen quickly. When there is political will, even the idea of ​​two dwellings can grow into a 20-story solution.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and is republished under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivatives license.