Facing a severe housing shortage, the City of Berkeley, Calif., increased the height limits on residential buildings to 12 stories in the area close to the University of California campus.
Local officials unanimously approved the height increase, an action that will nearly double the neighborhood's development potential. As many as 2,650 new housing units could be constructed around the university campus.
Just 1,300 units have been completed in Berkeley over the past five years. Fewer than 725 units are now in the city's development pipeline, far below the amount needed to keep up with the more than 10% population gain since 2010.
The city's dire housing shortage, with the university providing housing for less than 25% of its students, has caused sharp increases in rents. Average rents in Berkeley are about $2,700 per month, but those near the university campus can fetch as much as 50% more than those near the city's borders.
Related Stories
Resiliency | Jun 3, 2024
Houston’s buyout program has prevented flood damage but many more homes at risk
Recent flooding in Houston has increased focus on a 30-year-old program to buy out some of the area’s most vulnerable homes. Storms dropped 23 inches of rain on parts of southeast Texas, leading to thousands of homes being flooded in low-lying neighborhoods around Houston.
Affordable Housing | May 30, 2024
General contractor’s keys to a successful affordable housing project
General contractors can have tremendous influence over a project’s success in terms of schedule, budget, and quality. However, to ensure a project is put on this path, there are a few factors that must be considered.
MFPRO+ New Projects | May 29, 2024
Two San Francisco multifamily high rises install onsite water recycling systems
Two high-rise apartment buildings in San Francisco have installed onsite water recycling systems that will reuse a total of 3.9 million gallons of wastewater annually. The recycled water will be used for toilet flushing, cooling towers, and landscape irrigation to significantly reduce water usage in both buildings.
MFPRO+ News | May 28, 2024
ENERGY STAR NextGen Certification for New Homes and Apartments launched
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently launched ENERGY STAR NextGen Certified Homes and Apartments, a voluntary certification program for new residential buildings. The program will increase national energy and emissions savings by accelerating the building industry’s adoption of advanced, energy-efficient technologies, according to an EPA news release.
Student Housing | May 28, 2024
Student housing remains strong in May 2024
Although the pace has slowed down this year, student housing preleasing for the 2024–2025 season reached 73.5% in April, 50 basis points year-over-year (YOY).
MFPRO+ News | May 24, 2024
Austin, Texas, outlaws windowless bedrooms
Austin, Texas will no longer allow developers to build windowless bedrooms. For at least two decades, the city had permitted developers to build thousands of windowless bedrooms.
Mass Timber | May 22, 2024
3 mass timber architecture innovations
As mass timber construction evolves from the first decade of projects, we're finding an increasing variety of mass timber solutions. Here are three primary examples.
Mixed-Use | May 22, 2024
Multifamily properties above ground-floor grocers continue to see positive rental premiums
Optimizing land usage is becoming an even bigger priority for developers. In some city centers, many large grocery stores sprawl across valuable land.
MFPRO+ News | May 21, 2024
Massachusetts governor launches advocacy group to push for more housing
Massachusetts’ Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have taken the unusual step of setting up a nonprofit to advocate for pro-housing efforts at the local level. One Commonwealth Inc., will work to provide political and financial support for local housing initiatives, a key pillar of the governor’s agenda.
MFPRO+ News | May 21, 2024
Baker Barrios Architects announces new leadership roles for multifamily, healthcare design
Baker Barrios Architects announced two new additions to its leadership: Chris Powers, RA, AIA, NCARB, EDAC, as Associate Principal and Director (Healthcare); and Mark Kluemper, AIA, NCARB, as Associate Principal and Technical Director (Multifamily).
