BERKELEY — A controversial 18-story development proposed for Harold Way brought more than 30 people to a public hearing on a stormy night, some lauding the 302-apartment/condo and commercial project for its promise to inject new life into downtown, others decrying the loss of a less-crowded downtown, along with changes proposed for the Shattuck Landmark Cinemas and eviction of the Habitot Children’s Museum.
The Dec. 11 Zoning Adjustment Board hearing, which will be continued Jan. 8, addressed the question of community benefits.
Berkeley’s downtown plan allows three 180-foot and two 120-foot towers and requires developers of those projects to contribute “significant community benefits” not otherwise mandated by the city.
However, “significant community benefits” is undefined.
“It comes down to language,” said city Planner Aaron Sage. “What is a ‘significant community benefit?’ What is the nature or scope of the community that is benefiting? These are questions we don’t have clearly defined answers to.”
Former city planner Mark Rhoades is managing the $120 million project proposed for most of the city block at Harold Way and Kittredge Street and owned by Los Angeles-based HSR Berkeley Investments.
The project site is behind the historic Shattuck Hotel and would remove the remainder of the former Hink’s Department Store building that contains the Shattuck Cinemas.
Rhoades highlighted beneficial aspects, saying the project would be built with 100 percent union labor, with most workers living in Alameda County and provide “green” transportation features such as more electric car chargers and car share spaces than the city requires.
Noting the public outcry when original plans showed demolition of the Shattuck Landmark Cinemas, Rhoades said the 10-screen theater would now be modernized and replaced with six screens.
Rhoades touted the “privately owned public space” planned for the corner of Harold Way and Kittredge Street, he said would inject life into a deserted area.
This newspaper asked Sage the meaning of “privately owned public space,” and whether property management would control entry there. Sage referred the newspaper to the city spokesperson who said the city attorney has yet to study this issue.
Downtown Berkeley Association CEO John Caner was among the supporters. “Three hundred and two units — that’s probably close to 1,000 new residents,” he said. “They’re going to be using our restaurants, going to cultural venues, sharing our public spaces.”
Tim Frank, who led the successful No on Measure R campaign, added, “Every new project that comes on line brings more people downtown. That means more customers.”
Frank underscored the project’s proximity to BART. “People can live a car-free life there,” he said.
Project opponents outnumbered supporters at the hearing.
“It’s an 18-story monster and it’s going to turn Berkeley into a suburb of San Francisco for high-priced jobs,” said UC Berkeley physicist James McFadden.
“This is a choice between profits and people,” he said. “This is a choice about neoliberal economic growth or sustainable livable diverse housing. We don’t want a bunch of high-priced condos. It’s about profits for developers, profits for realtors and short-term bonuses to the coffers of Berkeley.”
Arguing that job creation was a short-term benefit, McFadden said, “Unless the building goes on forever, there’s no sustainable jobs.”
Community activist Cynthia Johnson called on developers to provide more than the mandated 27 units of affordable housing.
Speakers from Save the Landmark Shattuck Theatre, which had collected 1,600 signatures opposing changes to the cinema, argued against the changes, fearing a loss of arts films and documentaries and expressing fear that, with the new cinema’s higher rents, ticket prices would soar.
In a phone interview, Landmarks spokesman Steve Indig said the company intends “to continue the same approach for booking. The situation in Berkeley (in combination with the California Theater) is combining specialty and Hollywood films.”
He said ticket prices “will remain comparable to other theaters around.”
The 17-year-old Habitot Children’s Museum will be displaced. Its founder, Gina Moreland, and a number of other speakers called on the developers to include $250,000 in the benefits package to help relocate the museum.
Addressing the “green” features benefits, such as free transit passes, preservation advocate Steve Finacom argued that such amenities are selling points the developer will market, making his housing more valuable.
He called on the zoning board to stand up for the community.
“You have to forcefully tell them what the community needs,” Finacom said. “You don’t need to wait for them to offer these little dribbles of money and benefits.”
Details
City documents for the 2211 Harold Way project are online at bit.ly/1356jba.
