The Berkeley Design Review Committee is scheduled to review plans for a potential 23-story tower at 2029 University Avenue in Downtown Berkeley, Alameda County. The project developer, Laconia Development, has filed two similarly-sized variants for multi-family or student housing.
Stackhouse De La Pẽna Trachtenberg Architects is responsible for the design, with Jett overseeing the landscape architecture. Both iterations feature a similar design, with iterations of vertical articulation alongside a mix of brick veneer and metal panels.
2029 University Avenue student housing iteration seen from along University Avenue, illustration by SDT Architects
2029 University Avenue student housing iteration pedestrian view, illustration by SDT Architects
2029 University Avenue student housing iteration lobby entrance, illustration by SDT Architects
The student housing iteration will produce 160 rental dwellings across 191,990 square feet, including 12 very low-income units and 12 moderate-income units. Parking will be included for 29 cars and 177 bicycles. Apartment sizes will vary with 60 studios, 20 one-bedrooms, 20 three-bedrooms, and 60 four-bedrooms.
The multi-family iteration will feature 240 units across 190,830 square feet, with 18 units of very low-income housing and 18 units of moderate-income housing. Apartment sizes will vary with 80 studios, 60 junior one-bedrooms, 60 one-bedrooms, and 40 two-bedrooms. Parking is included for 29 cars and 175 bicycles.
2029 University Avenue multi-family iteration seen from down University Avenue, illustration by SDT Architects
2029 University Avenue multi-family iteration pedestrian view, illustration by SDT Architects
2029 University Avenue multi-family iteration lobby, illustration by SDT Architects
Rhoades Planning Group is assisting the project as the land use consultant. Both projects utilize Assembly Bill 1287 to achieve a 100% bonus from the State Density Bonus program, with waivers and up to four concessions requested. Residential amenities will be concentrated around the rooftop level, with the level split between a rooftop deck, a co-working lounge, and a fitness center.
The application is currently the sixth-tallest application within the city’s busy pipeline, poised to be 56 feet taller than plans for 2425 Durant Avenue, and just 12 feet shorter than 2190 Shattuck Avenue. The current tallest plan within the pipeline is for a 317-foot-tall apartment complex at 1998 Shattuck Avenue filed by NX Ventures.
Screenshot
2029 University Avenue, image via Google Satellite
The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared.
The Berkeley Design Review Committee is scheduled to meet tomorrow, Thursday, October 16th, starting at 6:30 PM. The event will occur in person at the North Berkeley Senior Center. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the city website here.
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While it is great to see the city of Berkeley densify their downtown with taller buildings along Shattuck Ave, each one that has been made public is so architecturally basic and/or banal – one after another. Maybe they should change the name to Basikeley or Banalkeley. Serriously though, can the design of these taller buildings, which will certainly reshape the city’s core and skyline, really not be any better quality than this?
Maybe if some architects other than SdlaT Architects could be hired…
I am delighted at how vertical Berkeley is going.
If only the towns around Stanford (Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Los Altos, Portola Valley) did the same.