The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to review modified plans tomorrow evening for the 26-story residential tower for 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley, Alameda County. Chicago-based Core Spaces is responsible for the application, with planning and CEQA consultation from the Rhoades Planning Group.
The meeting will review modifications to the previously-approved entitlements, reducing the unit count from 456 to 433 units while increasing bedroom count, increasing bicycle parking, adding an additional foot to the rooftop height, and decreasing open space. The previously-floated rooftop restaurant has been removed.
The Hub at 2128 Oxford Street podium view overlooking Center Street, rendering by DLR Group
The Hub at 2128 Oxford Street view over Oxford Street, rendering by DLR Group
The 286-foot-tall structure is now expected to yield around 711,080 square feet, including 539,600 square feet of housing, 10,070 square feet of ground-floor retail, and 34,210 square feet of amenities. Of the 433 units, there will be 72 studios, 90 two-bedrooms, 147 three-bedrooms, 57 four-bedrooms, 42 five-bedrooms, 24 six-bedrooms, and one seven-bedroom unit. Bicycle parking will be increased from 304 to 342 spaces. The shared open space has been reduced from 18,600 to 16,170 square feet.
DLR Group is the project architect. The modification does not appear to have changed the exterior design. Previous renderings show a contemporary facade articulation and material variation to visually break up the massing, splitting the slab tower to resemble three narrower apartments over Oxford Street. The most notable feature will be a rounded corner at the intersection of Center Street and Oxford Street, overlooking UC Berkeley’s crescent lawn.
The Hub at 2128 Oxford Street landscaping map, illustration by Site Design Group
The Hub at 2128 Oxford Street retail activity, rendering by DLR Group
The 0.82-acre property is located along Center Street between Oxford Street and Shattuck Avenue. Future residents will overlook the UC Berkeley Crescent Lawn and live a block away from the Downtown Berkeley BART Station.
Initial entitlements were approved in the summer of 2025. Construction is expected to last around 42 months from groundbreaking to completion.
2128 Oxford Street lot approximately outlined by SF YIMBY, aerial view via Google Street View
The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to review plans tomorrow, Thursday, April 9th, starting at 7 PM. The hybrid event will occur at the Berkeley Unified School District Board Room, with online participation on Zoom. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the city website here.
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Heck yeah at all of the 4-7 bedroom units! Just keep cranking out those 10×10 bedrooms and all will be right in the world. While in this case, these will be student housing, these 4-6 bedroom units help keep families in the city, and allow for work-from-home-offices, home gyms, grandma to move in with you, etc
“Of the 433 units, there will be 72 studios, 90 two-bedrooms, 147 three-bedrooms, 57 four-bedrooms, 42 five-bedrooms, 24 six-bedrooms, and one seven-bedroom unit.”
Berkeley is a delight. If the whole Bay Area was as pro-highrise as Berkeley, housing in the Bay Area would not be all that expensive.
Absolutely. Additionally, we should remember that this is the result of years of advocacy. Berkeley was violently anti-housing before 2020, and that election changed everything. I was in District 2 at the time and helped push out NIMBY Cheryl Davila.
Change is possible, and more municipalities should follow Berkeley’s lead.
Worth noting that Berkeley is a special situation. The university was involved in serious court cases in 2021-2022 related to not building enough housing to keep up with rising student enrollment. They came very close to having to rescind offers to students. All of this housing is a reaction to that, moreso than just YIMBY advocacy.
Great, lets also get some condos in Berkeley built too, different options
rendering shows oxford street pedestrianized, is that part of the plan?
Glad this project is still happening. Sucks that the Oxford lot has been empty for years now, but at least the developers still have plans to build
Photos show Center St being pedestrianized, not Oxford. The sunny photos of progress also show the sun, maybe at the summer solstice. None show how other parts of the year what was once the liveliest block downtown will now be mostly in shadow. I think the scale of this building is stupid.