Public Comment

The Berkeley Neighborhoods Council (BNC) has been following the discussions concerning the "Significant Community Benefits" required for the high-rise buildings that will be built in downtown Berkeley. BNC attended the initial ZAB meeting where the public heard the developers’ version of what those benefits should be.

It is important that the community establish what "Significant Community Benefits" means to avoid prolonged discussions and disagreements as projects like these come before the City. 2211 Harold Way is the first, so let us get the ground rules established now. 

The project already exceeds the limits imposed by the Downtown Plan passed by the voters. The proposed building height at 194 feet tall exceeds the 180 foot height limit. Does this matter? Are we going to make plans for the city that are meaningless? 

After hearing the developers’ presentation one had to ask: benefits for whom? Only if you have decided that the project alone was a community benefit could you have made the decision that this project has any community benefits at all. All of the benefits cited by the developer would make more money for the owner of the project and provide benefits for the future tenants –nothing was offered for the Berkeley community as a whole. 

A prime example of this is the proposed construction of a new movie theater to replace the existing Shattuck Cinema Theater. The rent for the new theater will be approximately double what it is today. This will of course be reflected in high prices for tickets. The public will not benefit—the project owner will. 

Another example is the Habitot Kids’ Museum. In this case it will be lost if the developer does not help with the financial issues around trying to move to another location or possibly return to its present place. 

BNC spoke before ZAB and pointed out that all of the benefits offered by the developers' were for themselves and nothing was offered to the community at large, and ZAB seemed to get the message. At the January 24, 2015 BNC general meeting, BNC discussed the community benefits for the project. 

Community Benefits: re the 2211 Harold Way Building are to be defined as benefits that improve the general livability of all of Berkeley. 

The ZAB has suggested the benefits be grouped into categories or buckets and the list below can be sorted into them. On-site affordable housing, retention of the Shattuck Cinemas, transit passes for residents, union construction, and streetscape improvements around the site are all considered to be requirements that benefit the project and its residents, not community benefits for all of Berkeley's residents. 

Benefits could be: 

• $5M - for education - given to the Berkeley Schools
• $1M - improve city parks - including Civic Center Park and restoration of its fountain
• $1M - Toward renovation of old City Hall
• Money that Habitot Kids Museum has requested to help defray their moving and relocation expenses. All cost should be provided by the developer, not just some.
• Contribute to the affordable housing fund over and above locating the required percentage of affordable units scattered in the new 2211 Harold Way Building itself.
• Contribute to all existing businesses that will lose business while construction is on going.
• Create and finance an alternate plan for the relocation of the movie theater while construction is occurring and reduce the rent when the Shattuck Theaters return to the new building.
• Create a public safe playground for children and a safe pathway to get to the play ground.
• Set up a fund to assist Berkeley residents to install solar panels.

These are real community benefits that would contribute to the livability of all Berkeley residents. As this discussion goes forward, everyone must get involved if any of the benefits are to be realized. BNC is an organization that has contact with 92 neighborhood organization in Berkeley and will send all of them updates as this issue moves forward. We hope our city elected officials do the right thing and agree that "Significant Community Benefits" means just that. Only all of us together can make that happen.