Berkeley Weekly Update - 11/14/23

Affordable Housing Stock Surges Thanks to Measure O

Jordan Court, an affordable housing site for seniors in North Berkeley, is one of several projects funded in part by Measure O.

Measure O, a $135 million bond for affordable housing approved by Berkeley voters in 2018, is on course to transform Berkeley’s affordable housing stock. As of September 2023, almost $110 million in Measure O funds have been allocated towards the creation of over 535 new units that are either completed, under construction, or in predevelopment. This number does not include future housing at Ashby and North Berkeley BART, which collectively has been allocated $40 million for affordable housing (the total number of units will be confirmed at a later date, but there could be up to approximately 1,200 units per site with at least 35% below market rate). In 2010, there were around 1,100 units of affordable housing in Berkeley. That number is expected to nearly double to above 2,000 in the next few years.

Measure O allocations are typically reserved early in the predevelopment process, which allows project sponsors to compete with state and federal funds. By leveraging Measure O funds, affordable housing projects have been able to secure an average of $4.6 for every $1 spent with City funds. Prior to Measure O, the City only had the ability to fund one new construction project every few years, with just 57 units completed between 2011-2018. With almost 9,000 units across all levels of affordability planned to be built by 2031, as defined in the Housing Element, Berkeley’s affordable housing building boom is expected to continue in the years ahead.

Catalytic Converter Etching Event

The Berkeley Police Department is partnering with Argonaut Garage to provide a free etching of catalytic converters. Catalytic converters will be etched with your car’s Vehicle Identification Number (VIN#), which has been proven to deter the theft of catalytic converters. The event will take place on Saturday, November 18th from 9am-4pm at 707 Jones Street on a first come first serve basis. To participate, you must be the registered owner of the vehicle and sign a waiver that will be provided at the event. For more details, contact 510-981-5774 or GSchikore@berkeleyca.gov.

Defensible Space Inspection Program Completes First Season

Measure FF has allowed Berkeley to greatly expand its wildfire safety and emergency preparedness.

The first round of inspections for the greatly expanded Defensible Space Inspection Program is now complete. Over 9,200 inspections were completed, up from 1,200 inspections since the program expanded to include all properties in the Very High Fire Danger Severity Zone. Next steps will be to reinspect properties which were found to be out of compliance.

Despite a relatively calm fire season in 2023 compared to recent years, wildfire danger in California is a growing threat. With the passage of Measure FF in 2020, a parcel tax that raises $8.5 million for improved fire services, emergency communication, hazard mitigation, and wildfire prevention, the City has launched several programs to improve wildfire safety. Highlights include the Safe Passages program to improve evacuation routes, expanding emergency alerts and installing a new emergency siren network, increasing vegetation management, and approving the Community Wildfire Protection Plan.

Rental Assistance Supports At-Risk Residents

The Eviction Defense Center, which operates the City’s Housing Retention Program, has recently helped keep 77 households stably housed through grants totaling almost $460,000. An additional 98 applications have been found to be eligible and are currently working on finalizing documentation that will result in an additional $954,000 in commitments. This comes after the City Council has continuously replenished the Housing Retention Program, most recently contributing an additional $1 million to the program from Measure P funds last week. Measure P, approved by Berkeley voters in 2018, generates around $10 million annually from property transfer taxes to pay for homeless services and homeless prevention.

The City’s eviction moratorium expired on August 31, 2023. Since September 1st, there have been a total of 245 eviction notices, or an average of around 100 a month. For comparison, in 2019, there was an average of 70 notices a month. Of these, 19 have been unlawful detainers, which is when a property owner goes to court to begin eviction proceedings. Most eviction notices do not result in eviction proceedings, as tenants are typically able to remedy the problem thanks to rental assistance programs. The City and Rent Board continues to monitor eviction cases and support those impacted.

Community Agency Request for Proposals Now Open

The City is now accepting written proposals for housing and community services that support low-income people in Berkeley. The Request for Proposal (RFP) will cover a four-year period from July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2028. Approximately $10.9 million in funding is available from a variety of local, state, and federal grants.

Agencies that plan to submit a proposal should attend the RFP Webinar happening on Wednesday, November 15 from 1pm-3pm. The deadline to submit proposals is December 22, 2023. Council will finalize action through its budget adoption in June 2024. For more details, click here.

Traffic Safety Grant to Support Vision Zero

The Berkeley Police Department has been awarded a $269,000 grant from the California Office of Transit Safety to be used for ongoing enforcement and education programs to help reduce the number of serious injuries and deaths on our roads. This grant will help move forward our Vision Zero goals, which aims to eliminate serious injuries and deaths from traffic incidents by 2028. In addition to this new grant, work continues on several projects to advance Vision Zero, including the Parker-Addison Mobility and Safety Improvement Project, the MLK Jr Way Quick Build, and improvements at the intersection of Oxford St/Virginia St to be completed by the end of the year.

Berkeley Half Marathon this Weekend

The 2023 Berkeley Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, November 19th. Road closures and detours will be in effect from 7:30am-12pm, including along parts of Shattuck Ave, Telegraph Ave, and 4th St. A full list of detours and anticipated timing of the closures can be found here.