Preliminary permits have been filed for a 20-story apartment complex at 2425 Durant Avenue in Southside, Berkeley. The potential 200-foot tower is entering a growing list of high-density projects that aims to reshape Berkeley’s skyline with more housing to satiate the city’s outsized demand for housing. The project is being led by local architect Yes Duffy at Yes Duffy Architects.
The pre-application uses Senate Bill 330 to streamline the approval process and increase residential capacity. The decision also comes eight months after the rezoning of the Southside Neighborhood by Berkeley City Council, which increased Telegraph Commercial-zoned lot from a 65 foot to 85 feet with base zoning. With more units allowed by the existing zoning map, and presumably with Assembly Bill 1287 to achieve a 100% density bonus, this latest proposal for 2425 Durant Avenue could become the tallest building in Southside.
2425 Durant Avenue facade elevations, illustration by Yes Duffy Architects
Initial project details show the 200-foot tall structure will yield around 145,000 square feet for approximately 117 apartments. Of the 117 units, 18 will be designated as affordable housing. The affordability will range with nine for very low-income households and nine for moderate-income households. Parking will not be included for cars, a decision many studies show that will reduce car ownership in the city.
Duffy is an activist-architect who consistently describes his work as motivated by the region’s housing crisis. Writing to YIMBY, Duffy shared that during his lifetime “as a former student, and instructor at Cal, I have been through two major housing crisis here in Berkeley in 2000, and in 2010. I am the last remaining member of my siblings who grew up here and were displaced from here due to lack of affordable housing.”
2425 Durant Avenue, image via Google Satellite outlined approximately by YIMBY
Duffy founded his firm in 2019 after working for eight years at David Baker Architects. The two firms are collaborating on the North Berkeley BART redevelopment with BART. Duffy added, “at Yes Community Architects, we are proud to be designing projects in Berkeley that really get at the root of the housing crisis. That means building enough homes to make housing choice and affordability, something Berkeleyans can achieve again and be proud of. Making housing abundant and affordable is the best way to be the inclusive, welcoming city we strive to be.”
The 1925-built complex is located in the center of Durant Avenue between Telegraph Avenue and Dana Street. Future residents will be one block from the UC Berkeley Campus and three blocks from People’s Park.
While far from the tallest proposal for Berkeley, only three others have been filed that rise taller than 200 feet tall, including 1974 Shattuck Avenue, 2128 Oxford Street, and 2190 Shattuck Avenue.
2425 Durant Avenue, image via Google Street View
Three existing residential buildings owned by 2425 Durant Ave., LLC, will need to be demolished. Rhoades Planning Group, a prominent Berkeley-based land use consultancy firm, is responsible for the application.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
I love this! Just waiting for those good ol’ market conditions so some of these towers can start construction. The affordable housing + campus housing is great… but people who don’t qualify are seeing rents continue to increase without any new housing stock.
I wish this project was being proposed to replace the Sather Lane property next door instead. Now that would be an improvement! And we’d get to keep the 2 old Beauties.
That was my first thought too. Perhaps they can be moved to a vacant lot, but I doubt it. Otherwise, this is a great location for more density.
Those are quite old and need to be retained. If the project (which looks interesting) must be built there, then the houses need to be moved off site.
Old houses and historic architecture are great, however houses exactly like these are littered across the east bay and San Francisco. There is nothing unique about them and they are out of scale with the surrounding buildings. If they can find a good way to move them to another site that would be great, but its extremely expensive to move 100 year old buildings and it would just result in the new units being more expensive for renters. There is a critical shortage of affordable urban housing not a shortage of old houses.
Fortunately for the rest of us, SB330 stops you and your friends at BAHA from deciding that these are historic properties at this time. Praise God.
unbelievable – 25 years ago this would never be considered – time for Berkeley to put up a full sign!
Great to get more housing in Berkeley!
20 floors?!?!? Talk about out of scale to the surrounding neighborhood! There are still plenty of lots along Shattuck Avenue south of Downtown that are sitting ripe for this type of development. I’m all for housing but this project seems misplaced.
False. The views of campus and the surrounding area from the upper half of the building will be great.
While I understand the need to add housing, I will do not understand the contempt for those who disagree with this column’s regulars. It does not further your cause and would certainly prevent reasonable people from joining you.
Self-styled YIMBYs are inherently obnoxious. You shouldn’t be surprised.
False. YIMBYs are about something beyond themselves.
NIMBYs are both selfish and economically illiterate.
To lend additional support to this project, can anyone provide the data that shows massive housing projects factually lead to lower rents. Supply and demand has its applications, but housing in the Bay Area seems to be detached from the usual formulas.
The property to the east appears to have rooftop solar panels. Does the California Solar Shade Act provide some protections for its access to sunlight? Tom.