The Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board is scheduled to review plans tomorrow evening for a seven-story apartment complex at 1899 Oxford Street in North Berkeley, Alameda County. The project aims to replace a surface parking lot and eight rent-controlled units with over two hundred apartments across from the UC Berkeley Campus. Non-profit Berkland Foundation is the property owner.
1899 Oxford Street golden-hour view, rendering by SDT Architects
1899 Oxford Street residential lobby and sidewalk view, rendering by SDT Architects
The 78-foot-tall structure is expected to yield around 93,400 square feet, including 65,600 square feet for housing and 3,890 square feet for ground-level retail. Parking will be included for 14 cars and 74 bicycles. Once complete, the building will have 222 apartments, including 33 deed-restricted affordable apartments. This will include 17 units for very low-income households and 16 for moderate-income households.
SDT Architects is responsible for the design. The updated illustration shows a more articulated facade, contrasting white and black insulated metal panels and setbacks to give the elevation the appearance of several structures overlooking Oxford Street. The ground floor will be improved with transparent floor-to-ceiling glass for the lobby and retail spaces.
InsideOut Design is the landscape architect. The team will oversee the sidewalk improvements, greenery, and seating for the ground-level residential courtyard and the rooftop deck.
1899 Oxford Street sidewalk design, rendering by SDT Architects
1899 Oxford Street seen from across Hearst Avenue, rendering by SDT Architects
According to reporting by The Daily Californian, the non-profit’s owner is affiliated with Nathan George of NDG Real Estate and NX Ventures. George has helped Berkland Foundation acquire and advise on development for the property. The surface lot has been used as parking for UC Berkeley.
The half-acre property is located at the corner of Oxford Street and Hearst Avenue, across from the northwest corner of the iconic UC Berkeley campus. Future residents will be a couple of blocks away from Shattuck Avenue, and close to the Downtown Berkeley BART Station.
Construction is expected to last around a year or two from groundbreaking to completion, with an estimated start date yet to be established. Previously, Nathan George mentioned hoping to start construction in Spring 2025.
1899 Oxford Street, image by Google Satellite
The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to meet tomorrow evening, Thursday, January 22nd, starting at 7 PM. The public event will take place in the Berkeley Unified School District Board Room at 1231 Addison Street, with virtual participation via Zoom. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the city website here.
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Yes!! That prime location has sat empty for at least the decade I’ve been involved in Berkeley. More housing. Hope the ground floor retail is activated quickly, though it will probably be another chain due to lease terms 🙁
It was a Texaco station up until the 1980s. Vacant when I got here in the 1990s. I agree that it has been empty for way too long. Hopefully development moves ahead soon.
Berkeley is extremely spooked about the lawsuit about five years ago around the University adding students but not building housing, and has seen the light. Downtown Berkeley is definitely on the upswing as a result of these new projects.
Now if we could only “spook” cities like Palo Alto as well. Lots of underutilized land along the El Camino/Caltrain corridor.
The entirety of El Camino will end up being 4-20 story buildings with a lot of ground floor retail combined with parking for that retail. The big question is how much residential parking is needed. Self-driving cars will have strong uptake in the South Bay and I could see parking needs being reduced.
By the looks of permitting bio-med, the car addiction isn’t ending anytime soon.
They manage to build parking garages taller than most housing in the South Bay.
Nothing will change until a monthly subscription for a self-driving car service exists and people start selling their cars, or never buying one at all. At least five years away, probably closer to ten.
San Jose is and Berkeley sf has been doing this the past 15 yrs
I would like to spook Oakland. We spent 7 years arguing about the CCA development and now the university sold to Vanderbilt. There’s a senior housing development in Rockridge that residents are gearing up to fight.
It really is wild how much housing Rockridge residents have been able to stop in the last decade. The CCA campus blockage is a tragedy. And it wasn’t really even in Rockridge!! Luckily Vanderbilt U. has aquired the property – whether they will plan new housing and/or academic instutions (would be great for Oakland) hopefully this is a positive direction – we need more large instutions in town. I hope the CEQA ban can save this senior development from Rockridge NIMBY’s but it might be too tall to meet the exception.
Blargh. Looks like a 1990s-era high-rise Borders Bookstore. Where do they get these “architects”?
Is this wat you do for a living just troll every project and complain like a nimby Karen get a life bud
What is spelled “what” – not “wat” – perhaps you need an education yourself?
Clearly from the architect store
Why must all these new buildings be so infernally ugly?
To all of those calling this ugly, look at the prior renderings for this project. This is a significant improvement.
The better question is, why is NX Ventures’ non profit affiliate Berkeley Foundation the applicant. Will this be affordable housing?