In close partnership with the City of Berkeley and a team of housing developers, BART is planning a welcoming transit-oriented development (TOD) at North Berkeley station to complement the surrounding walkable residential neighborhood, and the nearby shopping corridor on University Avenue.
The City of Berkeley laid the foundation for the project with an extensive community engagement process. Among the goals that residents of Berkeley identified for TOD at North Berkeley are new homes affordable to people with a variety of incomes, limited non-residential uses (such as childcare or commuter-focused amenities) that help reduce the need for driving, and a connection for the Ohlone Greenway serving people walking, rolling, and biking. BART anticipates that new homes and amenities will be built on about 5.5 acres of BART-owned land surrounding the station including the main parking area.
The Project
The development team, North Berkeley Housing Partners (NBHP), is composed of three affordable housing nonprofits - BRIDGE Housing, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, and Insight Housing - as well as a developer of market-rate homes, AvalonBay Communities.
NBHP is now advancing plans that call for:
- about 750 homes, roughly half affordable to residents with lower incomes
- new public open space over the underground BART tracks
- a childcare center and small retail, about 6,500 sq. ft in total
- a diagonal connection for the Ohlone Greenway though the site, and
- a new bike station to serve BART riders.
NBHP's website has more images and information about the proposed project.
The TOD will consist of five residential buildings that will be built in phases over time, with construction starting no earlier than mid-2025. Some of the existing BART parking (up to 120 spaces) could be replaced within one of the new buildings, which would also have a limited number of parking spaces for residents. The auxiliary lots near Virginia and Acton will continue to serve as BART parking (80 spaces).
Preparing for Development
Following a Request for Qualifications, BART selected North Berkeley Housing Partners in 2022 over three other interested developers due to NBHP's wealth of experience and strong track record with engaging communities during the planning of new homes. In June 2023, BART signed a two-year Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with NBHP to begin planning for new homes and amenities just steps from North Berkeley Station.
In order to get community input, NBHP shared its preliminary ideas for the development at several events throughout 2023, then refined the designs based on feedback from neighbors. In early 2024 NBHP will apply for planning entitlements from the City of Berkeley. The City will review NBHP's application for consistency with objective design standards that the Berkeley City Council adopted for the site in December 2023.
Site Overview and Background
The North Berkeley BART Station development site is comprised of about 8.2 acres and is bounded by Virginia St. to the north, Delaware St. to the south, Sacramento St. to the east, and Acton St. to the west. BART’s underground tracks and station cross the site diagonally, so part of the site is designated a “Zone of Influence” (ZOI) on which any future buildings would need to meet specific requirements to avoid adverse effects on BART’s underground facilities. If this ZOI were subtracted, about 5.5 acres remain as developable. That developable area is mainly used as BART rider parking with a total of about 620 spaces, excluding two auxiliary parking lots that will be kept as parking. The auxiliary parking lots are located to the northwest of the project site and have about 80 more parking spaces.
Image Credit: Van Meter William Pollack
Aerial View of the Property. NOTE: Site acreage of A & B assumes Zone of Influence is entirely excluded. Building on ZOI would result in greater developable site area.
Goals and Objectives for TOD
Through a collaborative process, Goals and Objectives for TOD were established for North Berkeley station and were unanimously approved by City Council on May 9, 2019. These goals focus on community input, station access, affordability, livability, and environmental sustainability.
Memorandum of Understanding (2020)
In 2018 the State of California passed Assembly Bill 2923 (Chiu/Grayson, 2018). This new law, known as AB 2923, sets requirements for the minimum density, height, floor-area ratio and parking for zoning of certain BART-owned property including these sites, and also provides for streamlined approvals for eligible projects. Therefore, in 2019, Berkeley and BART developed a Memorandum of Understanding to complete further work to plan for the development opportunity at both North Berkeley and Ashby stations.
In late 2019 and early 2020, the BART Board of Directors and the Berkeley City Council both unanimously approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that established a City-led community advisory process to articulate community-centered goals for zoning and development of TOD at Ashby and North Berkeley; called for BART’s future developer selection process to consider those community-centered goals; and set deadline for the City to rezone the sites and to decide whether to reserve City affordable housing funds for projects at Ashby and North Berkeley. BART and the City signed the MOU March 3, 2020.
Community Advisory Group (CAG)
Under the terms of the MOU, BART and Berkeley worked closely from mid-2020 to December 2021 with a Council-appointed Community Advisory Group (CAG) through public meetings to lay the foundation for development at both the Ashby BART and North Berkeley stations and address issues of affordable housing, land use, station access, building form, and new public spaces that would benefit the current and future residents as well as BART riders. The eight CAG meetings were public and were complemented by three community meetings, where the general public provided input on development priorities for the Ashby and North Berkeley stations.
Joint Vision and Priorities
The CAG helped shape the City of Berkeley - BART Joint Vision and Priorities for Transit-Oriented Development for Ashby and North Berkeley Stations (JVP) which includes shared goals for both stations and goals specific to each of the two stations. The JVP was approved by the Berkeley City Council and BART’s Board of Directors in June 2022.
City Actions in Support of TOD
In April 2021, the Berkeley City Council provisionally reserved $53 million of City-controlled funds as the subsidy needed to achieve a minimum of 35% affordable housing at the Ashby and North Berkeley TODs. The City is now considering ways of generating more funds to increase the affordability level beyond the minimum of 35%.
In June 2022, the Council adopted new zoning and general plan amendments for the site conforming to the TOD-friendly standards in AB 2923, and also approved an accompanying Environmental Impact Report.
In December 2023, the Council adopted objective design standards - the rules governing how NBHP governing how NBHP can design the new buildings. City planning staff will review the architects’ designs for consistency with the standards. If the TOD qualifies for streamlined approvals under state law, as expected, then it will be eligible to be approved via this staff-level review rather than at boards, commissions, or City Council. The objective design standards were developed through an inclusive, City-led process that incorporated input from residents and other stakeholders. developer.
BART’s Corridor Access Plan
The Berkeley-El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan provided a rare opportunity to comprehensively analyze how residents in Berkeley, El Cerrito, Richmond, Albany, Kensington, Emeryville, and Oakland who currently drive and park at the El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, and Ashby stations could access BART along the corridor once TOD is built on the existing parking lots. It balances the need for BART rider parking, which is expensive and uses a lot of space, with transportation options that enhance community vibrancy and safety. On June 9, 2022, BART’s Board approved a maximum of 200 on-site parking spaces at North Berkeley, including the 80 existing spaces at the auxiliary lots that will remain undeveloped.
Memorandum of Agreement (2022)
With many of the milestones envisioned in the 2020 MOU completed, BART and the City signed a new Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on June 30, 2022. The MOA clarifies both parties’ next steps in realizing a new, vibrant transit village at North Berkeley that will be home to people with a variety of incomes, as well addressing other issues related to future TOD at Ashby station.
For More Information
For specific inquiries regarding transit-oriented development at North Berkeley please email Shannon Dodge, Principal Property Development Officer, at [email protected]. Public meeting and events will be posted on this website and your participation is encouraged. You may also sign up for email updates from the Real Estate and Property Development Department by registering for general BART emails and selecting "Transit-Oriented Development Projects."
Archive: Developer Solicitation Materials
NBHP's full response to Request for Qualifications (RFQ), Aug. 2022
NBHP's Preliminary Development Concept excerpted from RFQ response, Aug. 2022