Construction has started for an eight-story apartment complex at 2587 Telegraph Avenue in Southside, Berkeley. The student-oriented complex will provide 485 beds within 52 separate units along the retail-rich thoroughfare. Gilbane Development Company is the project developer.
2587 Telegraph Avenue evening view, rendering by KTGY
2587 Telegraph Avenue seen from Regent Street, rendering by KTGY
The 85-foot tall structure will yield around 112,560 square feet, including 52 larger apartments and 2,900 square feet for retail. Dwelling sizes will vary with four studios, 30 four-bedrooms, 13 five-bedrooms, and five six-bedrooms. Amenities will include over 5,100 square feet of usable open space, a fitness center and yoga studio, study pods on each floor, and a small clubroom connected to two rooftop terraces. Parking will be included for 79 bicycles.
Six units will be designated affordable to very low-income households earning less than half of the area’s median income. This allowed the developer to use the State Density Bonus program to increase the project scale by 50% and streamline the application with Senate Bill 330. Preliminary permits were filed in February of last year and approved late this year.
2587 Telegraph Avenue ground-level details, rendering by KTGY
2587 Telegraph Avenue, rendering by KTGY
KTGY is the project architect. The plan set shows overall massing articulated with four silver-clad bays separated by columns of balconies and darker plaster cladding. The ground-level walls feature wood screens and masonry veneer.
The 0.43-acre property, formerly occupied by the Buffalo Exchange until mid-2020, is located along Telegraph Avenue between Dwight Way and Parker Street. The UC Berkeley campus is just four blocks away.
2587 Telegraph Avenue, image via Google Satellite
Gilbane Development Company is the real estate development, financing, and ownership arm of Gilbane, Inc., a 154-year-old family-owned company founded in Rhode Island. The estimated cost has yet to be shared. Completion is expected by the summer of 2026.
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I like the color scheme of the first floor for retail. It’s distinct from the apartments on top. I lived nearby as a student, so I hope that the retail in the area will be inviting as study spaces for future students.