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Holy Hill development is off--for now

Friday January 13, 2017 - 04:27:00 PM

In an online letter, David Vásquez-Levy,President of Berkeley’s Pacific School of Religion announced that the school has terminated its partnership with senior housing developer Mather Lifeways to build a very large project on its North Berkeley campus. The proposed building, one of the largest ever planned for Berkeley, would have replaced a number of historic buildings and apartments. The project encountered significant opposition from neighbors and others. Berkeley's newly elected mayor and councilmembers appear to be less friendly to market rate development than their predecessors, which might have something to do with the decision.

The school is seeking further projects for the site, however. The letter said: 

“Our intent, moving forward, is to leverage our real estate property towards a partnership that will strengthen our financial ability to fulfill our mission to prepare theologically and spiritually rooted leaders for social transformation within and beyond the church. And, as we did previously, we will consider implications on community, housing, and other factors as we explore partnership options. “We are pleased to say that there is significant interest in the property. The Board of Trustees has asked a small task force to engage in discussions with potential buyers and expects to arrive at a new partnership in the coming months. 

For more information, see: Berkeley: Pacific School of Religion and developer scuttle plan for senior housing complex,By Tom Lochner