Extra

Building Heights Before Planners Tonight

By Richard Brenneman
Wednesday July 30, 2008 - 09:38:00 AM

Downtown building heights are back on the planning commission agenda, monopolizing Wednesday night’s special meeting. 

Only two business items are scheduled for the session, which begins at 7 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave. 

First is the timetable for the remaining meetings, during which the commission will finish their proposed revisions of the draft Downtown Area Plan, concluding with their own recommendations to the City Council—which must adopt a final version by next May or risk losing some UC Berkeley funds as specified in the settlement of a city lawsuit challenging the school’s downtown expansion plans. 

The plan was crafted over the course of two years by the Downtown Area Plan Advisory Committee, a citizen panel appointed by city councilmembers and the planning commission. 

The most significant item Wednesday will be a discussion about what heights will be included in the study that will document the plan’s environmental impacts.