Another Large Apartment Building Up for City Review

Following last month's approval to construct Berkeley's largest apartment building to date and with other sizable apartment complexes near the Cal campus in the pipeline, the Zoning Adjustments Board on Thursday night will consider yet another large apartment building proposed for Shattuck Avenue and Derby Street. 

The board is scheduled to provide feedback on the plan to build a 30,079-square-foot, five-story building with 70 residential units, a full-serve restaurant and 35 parking spaces. 

According to the staff report, the 60-foot tall building is to be built at 2701 Shattuck Avenue between Derby and Ward Street and includes six affordable housing units. It is designed to be a solar-ready "green building" with an electric car charging system, eligible for a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) silver rating. 

No board action, other than feedback, is expected at the meeting. 

This proposal is one of several recent proposals for large apartment projects in downtown Berkeley. 

A five-story, 52-foot-tall building is under construction on Durant Avenue and Ellsworth Street after the city's approval in May. 

The 205-unit Acheson Commons project, which was approved last month, will be the largest apartment building in Berkeley in terms of units, according to Senior City Planner Greg Powell. 

A six-story, 69-unit building was approved for construction on Addison Street last month as well. 

On July 26, the city of Berkeley received a proposal for an eight-story building with up to 120 units to be built at 1974 University Avenue. 

The Zoning Adjustments Board meeting begins Thursday, Aug. 8, at 7 p.m. in the City Council Chambers on 2134 Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Other items are also on the agenda.