The Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board is scheduled to review plans for a five-story apartment complex at 2317 Channing Way in Southside, Berkeley. The proposal would bring 22 units to the narrow site, a slight increase from the 2020-era plans from the same developer. Vindium Real Estate is listed as the property owner.
The 50-foot tall structure will yield around 17,040 square feet, including 13,080 square feet for housing and 520 square feet of usable open space. Apartment types will vary with eight studios, ten two-bedrooms, one three-bedrooms, and three four-bedrooms.
2317 Channing Way, elevation by Studio KDA
Studio KDA is responsible for the application and design. Illustrations show a narrow residential infill with a two-story podium with floor-to-ceiling glass and three stories with windows punched into the corrugated metal-clad exterior. The facade materials will include metal panels, grey plaster cement, and bright yellow stucco soffits.
Vindium Real Estate is among the offshoots of companies associated with and led by the same family ownership of the now-closed Everest Properties, once one of the largest owners of rental units in the city of Berkeley. Everest Properties was founded by the late Laikreddy Bali Reddy in the mid-1970s. The company grew across the city up to 2001 when Reddy was imprisoned for eight years on charges of sex trafficking, immigration fraud, and tax code violations. However, after his release, his company remained intact and, as reported by Shomik Mukherjee of the Bay Area News Group, “Reddy and his family continued to own around 1,200 rental units in Berkeley through real estate groups such as Raj Properties and Everest Properties.” Laksh Lakireddy is listed as a representative for the property owner, 2317 Channing Way, LLC.
2317 Channing Way floor plans, illustration by Studio KDA
2317 Channing Way, via Google Street View
The 0.15-acre property is located on Channing Way between Ellsworth Street and Dana Street. Future residents would be a block away from the UC Berkeley Campus and two blocks from the Telegraph Avenue commercial corridor.
The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared.
The Berkeley Zoning Board Meeting is scheduled to start this Thursday, December 12th, starting at 7 PM. The hybrid event is scheduled to occur in person at the Berkeley Unified School District at 1231 Addison Street or online via Zoom. For more infomation about how to attend and participate, visit the meeting agenda here.
Correction: Laksh Lakireddy has reached out to YIMBY with a request for clarification, writing that “the property was never owned by Everest Properties and is in no way associated with Everest Properties or its past ownership.” The misunderstanding stems from the plan set, in which Lakireddy is identified as the representative for 2317 Channing Way LLC using an Everest Properties email address, and all addresses related to the property owner are identical to the former offices of Everest Properties. Lakireddy is related to the late Reddy.
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Me thinks this design poses the question about coherent neighborhoods and residential design: while the new building is startling, fresh and innovative, it also is an aggression on the charm of what appears to be a neighborhood of historic style buildings which are calm and resolved. I know it’s 2024, not 1924…..but I would try harder.
I think the new building looks absolutely great! I wish more new construction would look as good.
This is not a quiet neighborhood of tiny cottages. Get real.
Is Studio KDA capable of releasing buildings that look normal? Seriously….
You mean normal as is in older and outdated? This ia great lot for new infill housing and something more contemporary is welcome even if it’s not everyone’s preferred ‘style’.
neat! I like the design. the 1F windows are very Mondrian.