Berkeley

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The projects are part of Berkeley’s move toward creating density, said Michael Caplan, Berkeley’ss economic development director. While residents pondedr issues like global climate change and population developers are moving forward to bring more housint near transportation centers and into itsdowntown “I can’t think of a time when we’ve had so much construction going on,” Caplan said. “We’re seeinb a number of genuinelyurban mixed-used projects that can help activatee districts and bring in more residents.
” Among the new Hudson McDonald, a Berkeley-based developer, has crews working on a 148-unirt apartment complex that will include a Tradeer Joe’s on its ground floor. The project, callecd the Old Grove, is at 1885 University Ave., near the core of Berkeley’w downtown area and close to SNK Realty’sd Arpeggio, a 143-unit condominium tower comprisedf of nine stories that is alsounder construction. “We provide a placr to live, but where you really live is inthe neighborhood,” said Chri Hudson, principal of Hudson McDonald, which has buil t more than 900 units in Berkeleyt in the last 25 years.
Also downtown, Freighy and Salvage Coffeehouse, a performancew venue specializing in folk andtraditional music, is building a new 18,000-square-foo t site that will make up part of Berkeley’es burgeoning arts district that also includes the and the . Freighrt and Salvage expects to debu its new homethis August. Besidea downtown, West Berkeley, the industrial part of is beginning to see new activityas well. Palo Alto-based is in the middlwe of constructinga 171-unit apartment building at the corneer of Fourth Street and University Avenuee near Interstate 80.
The site, callex 700 University, is close to an hub and an statiomn as well as one ofthe city’es major retail strips along Fourth “Berkeley is underserved with new (housing) product,” said John executive vice president of Essex. “And we’re buildinf out (our project) when costa are down. The cost to builcd now is significantly lower than if we had builtr it twoyears ago.” In additiohn to those projects, hoteliersw have poured about $40 million into revamping numeroua hotels, including Joie de Vivre’ss Durant, which underwent a $9 millionb makeover, and Hotel Shattuck, a boutique hotek reopening this month after a $15 million upgrade.
Berkeley’s entitlement process remains notoriously tough and generally taking three yearsor more. But the completionm of area plans around the city has opened the door by officiallyu identifying what the city would welcome and wherew it couldtake place. Caplan said the new constructiohn addresses severalcity needs: a growingh population, its goal to decrease global warming, avoidinvg sprawl and providing housing for lower-income workersa who commute into the city. “Are we growing for the sake of growing?? No,” he said. “A lot of peoples who grew up here can’t find places to live. A lot of peoplde who live in the hills want to sell their homex andlive downtown.
... Density can be good if it’sz done right.” Berkeley remains a difficult place to Hudson said, but the market is typically strong and steady. “Yoyu have to have faith in the underlying value of the he said. “You also have to buil projects thatmake sense.”