Construction is expected to start soon for the eight-story residential infill named The Valiant at 2538 Durant Avenue in Southside, Berkeley. Two local developers, Martin Group and Valiance Capital, have added Canyon Partners Real Estate to a new joint venture with the goal of an imminent groundbreaking. The team closed on a construction loan from the Beverly Hills-based Kennedy Wilson.
Updated design of 2538 Durant Avenue looking east, rendering by Studio KDA
2538 Durant Avenue ground-level activity, rendering by Studio KDA
Once complete, the 88-foot tall structure will span 80,830 square feet, with 79,060 square feet for housing and 1,460 square feet for retail. Unit sizes will vary with eight one-bedrooms, 15 two-bedrooms, 14 three-bedrooms, six four-bedrooms, and 14 five-bedrooms. Parking will be included for 52 bicycles and no cars. Of the 83 apartments, five will be designated as affordable housing for very low-income households.
Studio KDA is responsible for the design, which is articulated into two masses and a bay window overlooking Durant Avenue. Exterior materials include board-formed concrete, cement panels, and plaster. Miller Company will oversee the landscape architecture between the sidewalk improvements, the second-level garden, and the rooftop deck.
2538 Durant Avenue looking west, rendering by Studio KDA
Canyon Partners Real Estate was founded in 1991 as a direct investment arm of the then-newly formed Canyon Partners. The company now oversees around $21.2 billion of global real estate assets. Construction financing was secured from Kennedy Wilson as Canyon Partners Real Estate joined Martin Group and Valiance Capital. The team is aiming to open doors for future residents before the mid-August start of the 2026-2027 academic year.
In a public statement, Stephen Siri of the Martin Group and Nhan Nguyen Le at Valiance Capital both expressed encouragement by Canyon’s new involvement and their confidence in the project. Nguyen Le added, “we are excited to build The Valiant to be the ideal student housing option in a highly specialized and high-barriers-to-entry market.”
The property is located in the Southside neighborhood a block from the UC Berkeley campus along Durant Avenue between Telegraph Avenue and Bowditch Street. Demolition will be required for an existing 12-unit apartment complex.
2538 Durant Avenue, image via Google Street View
The project team has yet to reply to a request for comment and additional information.
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A 7-story complex is good.
But demolishing an old building with 12 units to make a new one with 57 units seems like a missed opportunity to do more. As in, 12+ storys.
I agree on principle, but the unit mix here implies a much larger amount of housing than a typical 57-unit building. Many campus-adjacent developments are multi-bedroom and meant to be leased by the bedroom.
The city needs to figure out a solution to the double parking delivery driver problem on this block of Durant. Some evenings, the street is completely impassable with all three lanes blocked.
“The city needs to figure out a solution to the double parking delivery driver problem on this block of Durant. Some evenings, the street is completely impassable with all three lanes blocked.”
There are many market solutions.
One solution, but not the best one, is for the metermaids to ticket the double-parked drivers more. That will cause prices to end customers to rise and adjust demand.