THE BAY AREA | Projects from San Francisco's Surrounding 8 Counties

[tech12]

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Major increase to height and mass for another one of the Downtown Berkeley tower proposals. I can see this one catching NIMBY flak over the sheer scale of the proposal, but it's an appropriate density for a site right next to UC Berkeley and one block from BART.

Looks good, and more housing is good.

What doesn't feel as good though, is the fact that a dozen retail spaces will be demolished, with only 6 new ones built in their place. Multiply that trend by say, a dozen new buildings, and downtown Berkeley could end up noticeably less lively. It's something that concerns me about new development in general, not just in Berkeley. That being said, a half dozen retail spaces in a new building is definitely better than 1 or 2 spaces, or none, which is often what ends up happening.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Major increase to height and mass for another one of the Downtown Berkeley tower proposals. I can see this one catching NIMBY flak over the sheer scale of the proposal, but it's an appropriate density for a site right next to UC Berkeley and one block from BART.

The architecture looks acceptable; I like the color, the curved corner windows (assuming those stay in the new renderings when they are released), and the ground-level treatment. The proposed pedestrian plane looks like it would do an excellent job at promoting an active streetscape, and it replaces a solid stretch of many small shops with a similar arrangement.

Agreed. I hope it gets approved and built to the updated height. I think it's not a bad looking project. Could look good in some angles. I also like the curved corner windows. The ground floor retail should be very nice with the multiple small shops. Hopefully we get some more renderings with various angles of the overall project to get a better idea. The rooftop bar and lounge/restaurant is also going to be a very cool addition and should offer some nice views of the Bay.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by tech12

Looks good, and more housing is good.

What doesn't feel as good though, is the fact that a dozen retail spaces will be demolished, with only 6 new ones built in their place. Multiply that trend by say, a dozen new buildings, and downtown Berkeley could end up noticeably less lively. It's something that concerns me about new development in general, not just in Berkeley. That being said, a half dozen retail spaces in a new building is definitely better than 1 or 2 spaces, or none, which is often what ends up happening.

Yeah that's unfortunate. It would've been better to develop one of the nearby surface lots to avoid displacement of these businesses. Hopefully some of them can resume operations once this new building is up, and that providing adequate ground floor retail is kept in mind for future projects. Ground floor retail in downtown Berkeley is one of the things that makes Berkeley such an underrated urban city.

[BobbyMucho]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Yeah that's unfortunate. It would've been better to develop one of the nearby surface lots to avoid displacement of these businesses. Hopefully some of them can resume operations once this new building is up, and that providing adequate ground floor retail is kept in mind for future projects. Ground floor retail in downtown Berkeley is one of the things that makes Berkeley such an underrated urban city.

I was there this past weekend and took a peek at the street scene and state of the businesses. I agree that it's never cool when people or businesses are displaced, but on the other hand, at least half of the still-operating businesses in this stretch are pretty tired. Otherwise, the higher density is great, but definitely needs a ton of refinement to match the feel and massing of the first pass. Way too monolithic as currently proposed.

[CharlesCO]

Do we really need to be concerned about retail space in Berkeley? I think there's plenty of vacant streetfront space as it is. I also have a feeling that the businesses that might be displaced have known about this for some time. I thought it was a little odd that the Starbucks never came back after the pandemic, and I'm pretty sure East Bay Spice is working on moving to a space a few doors down.

A 25-story building full of residents will do a lot more to make downtown Berkeley feel lively than what's currently there.

[urbanflight]

Originally Posted by homebucket

Pretty sweet looking campus.

The highlights:
- 4,000 employees
- First time Google has developed its own campus
- 1.1M sq ft over two office buildings
- 1,000 person events center
- Four-building lodging complex with 220 rooms to accommodate short-term stays for employees
- Designed by world-renowned architects Bjarke Ingels Group and Heatherwick Studio
- The insides of the buildings feature a combination of wide-open spaces with 30 courtyards or atriums, as well as small rooms for break out sessions
- Allows plentiful natural light into the buildings
- Uses about 50,000 solar panels to resemble dragon scales on its canopy rooftop, with geothermal piles beneath the office complex to create an energy arrangement that can cool the vast structure in hot weather and heat it during cold weather
- Local residents will also be able to benefit from the new Bay View campus in multiple ways. Among them: public access to expanded trails with panoramic views of the Bay, improved bike connections to the Stevens Creek and Bay trails
- The campus also includes 17.3 acres of high-value natural areas, including wet meadows, woodlands, and marshes, that contribute to Google’s broader efforts to reestablish missing essential habitats in the Bay Area.



https://www.siliconvalley.com/2022/0...-estate-covid/

What a hideous building.

[homebucket]

^ Disagree. It's a highly futuristic, dynamic building with curvaceous canopies designed to collect rainwater, with wave-like clerestories, topped with dragonscale solar panels. Overall a complete carbon neutral, environmentally sustainable design. Very cool.

The first key to Bay View’s energy efficiency is a canopied roof that’s more reminiscent of a modern airport terminal than your traditional office space. Consisting of a proprietary “dragonscale” design, the roof consists of 50,000 solar panels that can cumulatively generate almost seven megawatts. In addition to generating energy of its own, the roof also minimizes thermal heat gain and reduces overall energy loads.

...

Though the canopy superstructure is the project’s most visible element of green design, energy-minimizing sustainability is embedded into the foundation of Bay View. That’s thanks to what is now North America’s largest geothermal pile system, which will heat and cool the workspace. That facilitates a projected 50% reduction in carbon emissions, while also saving an estimated 5 million gallons of water that would otherwise be used for cooling purposes each year. And speaking of saving water, Bay View makes use of on-site recycled water for all of its non-potable needs, part of an effort to replenish a full 120% of the water the facility consumes by 2030.

...

Given that Bay View is designed to achieve significant energy savings at scale, sustainability awards are expected to follow suit. BIG’s press release notes that Bay View should meet the standards required for LEED-NC v4 Platinum certification. Furthermore, they expect the project to set a record for the largest facility to achieve the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge Water Petal certification.

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/...-office-spaces





https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/...ech-tent?tkn=1

[OhioGuy]

Originally Posted by homebucket

^ Disagree. It's a highly futuristic, dynamic building with curvaceous canopies designed to collect rainwater, with wave-like clerestories, topped with dragonscale solar panels. Overall a complete carbon neutral, environmentally sustainable design. Very cool.

I wonder how most employees will access the facility? I'm guessing they'll drive rather than take public transit? And even if they drive electric vehicles, it's still vehicles on the road rather than employees commuting via transit.

Admittedly the new campus is interesting, though I'm more excited for Google's upcoming transit village development next to Diridon.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by OhioGuy

I wonder how most employees will access the facility? I'm guessing they'll drive rather than take public transit? And even if they drive electric vehicles, it's still vehicles on the road rather than employees commuting via transit.

An important point but I think that has more to do with the location of the building itself rather than the actual building. Obviously proximity to an urban environment where employees can commute via walking, biking, or public transit is more environmentally conscious.

In terms of the building itself, I think it's still significantly more green than your typical suburban office park.

[tech12]

Originally Posted by CharlesCO

Do we really need to be concerned about retail space in Berkeley?

Yes. The higher the density of amenities, the more walkable/livable/interesting an area is. Also, non-fancy people need places to work.

Originally Posted by CharlesCO

I think there's plenty of vacant streetfront space as it is.

That's not a good thing though. This project will lead to a block in the middle of downtown Berkeley having it's retail spaces halved. It's a trade off for more housing units, which are a good thing, but this trend of losing retail spaces could definitely lead to some bad results.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by homebucket

^ Disagree. It's a highly futuristic, dynamic building with curvaceous canopies designed to collect rainwater, with wave-like clerestories, topped with dragonscale solar panels. Overall a complete carbon neutral, environmentally sustainable design. Very cool.

The whole thing looks like a collapsed pagoda, or one of those vinyl roofed arenas after too much snow and a catastrophic structure failure. The materials are nice, I'll give you that.

[homebucket]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

The whole thing looks like a collapsed pagoda, or one of those vinyl roofed arenas after too much snow and a catastrophic structure failure. The materials are nice, I'll give you that.

Yeah, they should've gone with something less innovative but safer, I'll give you that.

[unpermitted_variance]

Another tower proposal for downtown Berkeley!

Renderings Revealed For 2420 Shattuck Avenue, Downtown Berkeley
BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JUNE 15, 2022
https://sfyimby.com/2022/06/renderin...-berkeley.html



New renderings have been revealed for a 16-story residential infill at 2420 Shattuck Avenue in Downtown Berkeley, Alameda County. The transit-oriented proposal will reshape the low-rise lot with 146 new homes, ground-level retail, and no vehicular parking. NX Ventures is responsible for the application.

Today’s story comes less than a week after NX Ventures and Trachtenberg Architects filed plans for the tallest proposed tower in Berkeley at the McDonals at 1974 Shattuck Avenue. Speaking with YIMBY, NX Ventures Principal Nathan George shared that the team has filed seven projects in Berkeley’s housing pipeline, representing around 1,500 units. He shared that “our goal is to get to 2,000 to get in our pipeline for the next four to five years.”


The 171-foot tall structure will yield 76,760 square feet, with 73,960 square feet for housing and 2,800 square feet for the ground-level commercial retail. Parking will include 54 bicycles for residents and four bikes for commercial users. All units will be studios, with 15 fixed as very low-income housing.






The base project established for the development would include 97 units. The State Density Bonus program allows the developer to increase the housing capacity by 50% if the project meets base zoning rules and a threshold for affordable housing, with waivers to increase the maximum building height and reduce required setbacks to adequately accommodate the density bonus units.

The open space programming will include a second-floor podium and two ground-level gardens, one for residents and one for the commercial tenants.



Demolition will be required for the existing two-story commercial structure comprising two retail storefronts, Chinese Restaurant & Tea House and Gio’s Pizza and Bocce. The property is located between Channing Way and Haste Street, several blocks south of the Downtown Berkeley BART Station.

I wonder if the mural in the renderings is reflective of what would actually get put there. It looks sort of like a mosaic but the diagrams indicate that it would be painted. If it does look anything like the renderings, it can turn an otherwise unremarkable building into a landmark, at least until a tower pops up on the adjacent lot.

[tech12]

Nice! Seems like Berkeley has received a building height steroid shot after a lifetime of being a puny lil shrimp lol

tallest buildings in Berkeley:
The Campanile - 307' (1917)
Skydeck Building - 186' (1970)
Wells Fargo Building - 176' (1927)
Marriott residence Inn - 168' (2021)
Evans Hall - 166' (1971)
Berkeley Central - 120' (2012)

tallest buildings that are proposed/approved/under construction:
1974 Shattuck - 277'
2128 Ofxord - 260'
2190 Shattuck - 260'
2211 Harold - 180'
2420 Shattuck -171'
Helen Diller Anchor House - 169'
2113 Kittredge - 15 stories
1951 Shattuck - 137'
People's Park student housing - 12 stories
3000 Shattuck - 112'
2900 Shattuck - 110'

And there are many more buildings under construction/proposed/recently finished, in the 5-10 story range as well.

[unpermitted_variance]

Don't forget the Campanile at 307 feet!


Regardless, this boom of projects and proposals in Berkeley is truly impressive, and something I wish we were seeing everywhere in the Bay. I also strongly admire the quality of the proposals that are coming through; many have actual quality architectural elements like ornamentation, facade materials that aren't fiber cement panels, shapes that aren't boxes, etc. Either the city attracts more dedicated architects or the city codes successfully mandate higher quality.

[IMBY]

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Don't forget the Campanile at 307 feet!


Regardless, this boom of projects and proposals in Berkeley is truly impressive, and something I wish we were seeing everywhere in the Bay. I also strongly admire the quality of the proposals that are coming through; many have actual quality architectural elements like ornamentation, facade materials that aren't fiber cement panels, shapes that aren't boxes, etc. Either the city attracts more dedicated architects or the city codes successfully mandate higher quality.

It's about time Berkely grows up! What took so long!!!

[tech12]

Another one for Berkeley:

2900 Shattuck
110'
10 floors
221 units


https://sfyimby.com/2022/06/renderin...-berkeley.html

Originally Posted by unpermitted_variance

Don't forget the Campanile at 307 feet!


Regardless, this boom of projects and proposals in Berkeley is truly impressive, and something I wish we were seeing everywhere in the Bay. I also strongly admire the quality of the proposals that are coming through; many have actual quality architectural elements like ornamentation, facade materials that aren't fiber cement panels, shapes that aren't boxes, etc. Either the city attracts more dedicated architects or the city codes successfully mandate higher quality.

Agreed. I wasn't really expecting to see this level of development in Berkeley in my lifetime lol. Also, I updated the list. The Campanile isn't really in the same category as the other buildings, but whatever, it still makes an impact on the skyline.

[homebucket]

Another new one incoming for Berkeley!

Specs:
- 85 ft | 8 floors
- 83 units
- Parking for 49 bicycles, no cars!

New Plans Filed For 2538 Durant Avenue In Southside, Berkeley



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JULY 17, 2022

The pre-application has been filed for a new eight-story residential infill at 2538 Durant Avenue in Southside Berkeley, just south of the UC Berkeley Campus. The project would replace the existing four-story apartment building with 83 homes, using the State Density Bonus Program and Senate Bill 330. Valiance Capital is responsible for the application.

The 85-foot tall structure will yield 80,830 square feet with 79,050 square feet for residential use and 1,640 square feet for ground-level commercial space. Of the 83 units, five will be designated as Very Low-Income units earning less than half of the Area Median Income. The developers are also filing to use Senate Bill 330 to streamline the planning approval process.

https://sfyimby.com/2022/07/new-plan...-berkeley.html

[homebucket]

The site: https://goo.gl/maps/GKmu54yBqUQEroj87

Some more renderings:









https://sfyimby.com/2022/07/new-plan...-berkeley.html

[homebucket]

A new TOD proposal for San Leandro at the Bay Fair BART station.

The specs:
- Two 5-story buildings
- 487 units (15% affordable)

Multifamily Residences Planned On East 14th Street In Bay Fair, San Leandro



BY: YIMBY TEAM 4:30 AM ON AUGUST 8, 2022

Plans to add more housing could soon be seen fulfilled in Bay Fair in San Leandro. The project proposal includes the development of a housing project at multiple addresses: 15693, 15739 and 15741 East 14th Street. Plans call for the transformation of a shopping center parking lot into a 487-unit apartment complex.

Encino and AMG & Associates are the project developers. The development team includes Orange and AO Architects.

The project will consist of 487 units, of which will be 482 one-bedroom units and 5 three-bedroom manager’s units. Of those units, 15 percent will be affordable for very low-income families and the rest will be market-rate. The proposal is looking to add two five-story buildings. Building A will house 180 units and is planned to be T-shaped, mostly engaging East 14th Street. Building B, which contains 307 units, is a 4-sided building forming an enclosed courtyard space. The two buildings interact with each other to create an otherwise contiguous form on the site and reinforce the natural flow of the open public open spaces and pathways run parallel along the North/South perimeter of the project and Bayfair Center.

The residential redevelopment will bring a walkable, transit-oriented community hub, with public gathering spaces and a mix of retail, neighborhood services, housing and office space, the city stated on its site. The development itself is part of the city’s Bay Fair Transit-Oriented Development. The Bay Fair TOD Specific Plan was adopted by the San Leandro City Council in 2018, following an extensive community engagement and planning process, according to the city’s website.

The project will feature contemporary modern architectural designs adhering to the guidelines and intent of the Bay Fair TOD Specific Plan. The pedestrian entry to the public plaza from East 14th Street will be marked by a proposed mural depicting San Leandro’s Cherry City legacy, which started in 1909 to celebrate the bumper crop of cherries.

The estimated cost of the project is $150-$200 millions. The team plans to finalize the entitlements within an 18-month period.

https://sfyimby.com/2022/08/multifam...n-leandro.html