The Future of Housing in Berkeley
Berkeley Way (pictured in May 2021) is set to become the largest affordable housing development in Berkeley's history when it is completed in spring 2022.
Recently released Census data shows that Berkeley’s population is increasing. Over the last 10 years, the city grew by 10%, creating further need for additional housing. In addition, new state mandates require that the City, and communities throughout California, have to plan for more housing units to address both the current housing deficit and to accommodate future growth
Berkeley’s challenge is how to meet increased state housing targets with limited vacant sites. In order to address these issues and create a Berkeley that is equitable and affordable, we are moving forward on a series of initiatives and invite everyone in our community to be a part of this process.
The Housing Element and Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)
Every eight years, local governments are required, by the State of California, to update their Housing Element of the General Plan to reflect new priorities, meet state housing targets and plan for regional housing needs. Last year, the State identified that the San Francisco Bay Area region must plan for 441,000 new homes. The Bay Area’s regional Council of Government, the Association of Bay Area Governments, must then allocate housing units (including proportional affordability needs) to the 101 cities and towns and 9 counties. Berkeley’s proposed housing allocation for this eight year cycle (from 2023 - 2031) is 8,934 new units. Of this, 2,446 (27.4%) are for very low income (below 50% of the Area Median Income (AMI)), 1,408 (15.8%) at low income (50%-80% AMI), 1,416 (15.8%) at moderate income (80%-120% AMI), and 3,664 (41.0%) above moderate income (above 120% AMI). ABAG is expected to approve the final RHNA Plan in December 2021.
The Housing Element Update addresses a range of housing issues such as affordability, diversity of housing types, allowable density and available opportunity sites, housing for those with special needs, and fair housing for disadvantaged communities of concern. In addition, it establishes goals, policies, and programs that will guide the City’s decision-making around the development of housing to address existing and projected needs with a mix of housing opportunities that will serve a range of income levels.
The Housing Element must show that the city has the zoned capacity to accommodate its share of regional housing needs, and if it does not, then the local jurisdiction must rezone land to allow the level of density to accommodate its RHNA numbers. A key part of our Housing Element update will be a rezoning of our city to accommodate the roughly 9,000 additional units we must plan for. Key to any rezoning effort is the engagement of neighbors directly affected, as well as our Boards and Commissions.
On September 21st, the City Council held a preliminary discussion on the 2023 Housing Element. The work session kicked off a year-long public process which will involve community meetings, stakeholder discussions, work from various city commissions, and public surveys.
Berkeley is one of the first cities in the Bay Area to kick off its Housing Element process early, in order to have enough time for robust public input. The process will culminate with any necessary rezoning and the draft Housing Element coming to the Council for a vote by the end of 2022. Please Sign up here to receive updates on the Housing Element process and how to get involved.
Baseline Zoning Ordinance
Berkeley’s Zoning Ordinance is currently over 400 pages long, outdated and internally inconsistent. The last major revision to the code happened in 1999. With the goal of making the ordinance more readable, accessible and to improve customer service, in 2017 the City embarked on the Zoning Ordinance Revision Project (ZORP) to create a new Baseline Zoning Ordinance (BZO) to simplify and consolidate the Zoning Ordinance. Over the last few years, Planning Department staff and consultants worked extensively with multiple commissions, stakeholders and the public to develop the BZO.
The new BZO does not make substantive changes to the Zoning Ordinance. It is simply designed to provide an easy to follow format and writing style, consolidating land use tables and eliminating repetitive language.
This is just the first of two phases under ZORP. The second phase, which has yet to begin, will include amendments intended to streamline and reduce the complexity of the City’s zoning regulations. No date has been set for launching Phase Two, which is expected to begin soon. Bookmark this page for updates.
On September 28th, the Council voted to adopt the BZO. It will go into effect on December 1.
Ending Exclusionary Housing
Berkeley was the first city in the country to adopt single-family zoning in 1916. This policy was rooted in racism in an attempt to keep people of color from moving into neighborhoods, the impacts of which we still see today. Earlier this year, the Council adopted a resolution declaring its intent to end this policy. This does not mean that single-family homes will be demolished, nor does it mean that only apartments can be built on lots. Our efforts to end exclusionary zoning, which will be part of the Housing Element update, are intended to remove barriers for people to live in our city’s residential neighborhoods and address our severe housing shortage. Also many of Berkeley’s neighborhoods have a mix of building typologies including multi-family buildings so therefore integrating four-unit properties will not dramatically change the character of many neighborhoods. By allowing multi-family housing in every part of our city, we can address decades of racial exclusion and add needed housing at the same time. Recently, the White House acknowledged Berkeley for its efforts to end single family zoning.
Other State Laws
Two notable state bills that have recently been signed into law are Senate Bill (SB) 9 and Senate Bill (SB) 10. SB 9 allows duplexes to be built in single-family zones and allows subdivision of lots, allowing for a maximum of four units. SB 10 gives cities the option to zone up to ten units on lots along major transit corridors.
It’s not clear what impact SB 9 or SB 10 will have in Berkeley. However, even before its passage, Berkeley had launched the process of updating its Housing Element, including ending exclusionary zoning and allowing multi-family housing citywide. The UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing found that SB 9 would only affect a small number of parcels in Berkeley. SB 10 is voluntary and local governments have to opt-in. It requires a two-thirds vote of the City Council to initiate. As we launch our Housing Element update we will be looking at which areas we need to rezone to meet new and substantially larger state housing requirements. We will be looking at tools like SB 10 to see if they can help Berkeley meet our regional housing targets.
Final Thoughts
Berkeley, like all cities in California, are required to develop more housing under new state mandates. Through the proposals and initiatives mentioned above, we are looking at innovative ways to meet those goals while maintaining the quality of life and services provided to Berkeley residents. This is an ongoing process with public input at its heart. I invite your input on these policies, and there will be many opportunities in the months and years ahead. Berkeley is a growing and compassionate city, and we must ensure that our Berkeley values meet the needs of people from all walks of life so they can live in this amazing city.