BART approves developer for North Berkeley Transit Oriented Development
BART has taken another major step toward creating new housing just steps from the North Berkeley Station. The Board of Directors today gave the General Manager authority to enter into a two-year Exclusive Negotiating Agreement (ENA) with BRIDGE Housing Corporation to begin planning a Transit Oriented Development (TOD).
The TOD would be built on about 5.5 acres of BART-owned land surrounding the station, including the main passenger parking area. A vision document adopted by both BART and the City of Berkeley anticipates 500 to 1,200 homes on BART’s property at North Berkeley, at least 35% of which would be affordable.
“Every time I’m at North Berkeley Station, I look around and imagine housing replacing the sea of nearly empty parking lots, and it brings me so much joy,” said BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman. “With today’s action by the BART Board, the dream of more housing – especially affordable housing near BART - is closer than ever to becoming reality.”
The City of Berkeley has expressed strong support for the project and, in April 2021, its City Council pledged $53 million as the subsidy needed to achieve at least 35% affordable housing at North Berkeley TOD, as well as at a future project planned at Ashby Station.
BRIDGE Housing, the largest nonprofit developer of affordable and workforce homes on the West Coast, formed a team with three other developers: Oakland-based East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation (EBALDC) which is advancing affordable housing at BART’s Lake Merritt Station; homeless service provider Berkeley Food and Housing Project; and AvalonBay, which completed over 600 apartments at Pleasant Hill BART.
Following a Request for Qualifications that BART issued last July, this team was selected due to its wealth of experience, its leadership by a nonprofit organization, and members’ strong track record with engaging communities during the planning of new homes.
Early in 2023, BRIDGE’s team is expected to share its preliminary plan for the development at North Berkeley BART in order to get community input. Ideas and feedback from neighbors will be considered as the design for new homes and amenities is refined. Construction would be completed in several phases, with the first phase starting in 2025 or later. Some of the existing BART parking could be replaced within the new buildings.
In the event that BART is unable to advance this development with BRIDGE’s team, the Board authorized staff to enter into an ENA with the second-ranked team, led by Republic Metropolitan.