Big Housing Projects Move Forward At Berkeley BART Stations

When Bay Area Rapid Transit tracks were being built in Berkeley over a half-century ago, Berkeley residents voted to put the trains underground so they wouldn’t divide the city. About the only visible sign of BART, other than the portals themselves, was the existence of two large parking lots connected to stations on the north and south ends of town. Though they were designed as park-and-rides for commuters, it turns out that they were also placeholders for sorely needed housing. According to a complex, recently inked agreement between the city and BART, those lots will be used to build transit oriented Development (primarily housing) at the two stations known as the Ashby and North Berkeley BART Stations. Recently, the Berkeley City Council approved measures designed to spur new development at its Ashby station, after years of disputes between the city and BART over the station’s air rights. The city has agreed to relinquish its air rights over two parking lots that serve the Ashby station – thus enabling BART to develop multistory housing on the west lot, with community benefits – in exchange for city ownership of the east lot. That agreement enabled the council, in turn, to issue a request for development proposals. The North Berkeley station plans are further along, with construction set to begin in about a year.

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