Berkeley City Council approves zoning change to encourage "middle housing"
In a unanimous vote Thursday night, the Berkeley City Council approved a zoning change designed to make it easier to build small apartment buildings across much of the city—part of a broader effort to address the region's ongoing housing affordability crisis.
Dubbed the Middle Housing Ordinance, the new policy streamlines the permitting process for residential buildings such as duplexes, triplexes, and three-story multi-family homes. City officials and housing advocates said the change could increase housing options for middle-income residents who have been increasingly priced out of the market.
"These types of units will get a streamlined, 'by-right' approval," said District 1 Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani, who championed the policy. "So if [a project meets] the development standards, they don't go above three stories, and they have setbacks and open space, they can get approved over the counter."
The new zoning rules, however, will not apply to the Berkeley Hills, where fire-risk concerns have limited development.
Supporters of the ordinance argued that increasing housing supply is essential for reducing costs and giving younger and middle-class residents a foothold in the city's expensive real estate market.
"I could not afford one of these houses," said Andrea Horbinski, a renter in the Berkeley Hills with a Ph.D. "And I don't think that is going to change. So hopefully, [developers will] build different housing, new housing, smaller size that I could afford."
Horbinski was one of the residents who spoke in favor of the ordinance at the council meeting. "The more the merrier," she said. "The more housing there is, the more prices will come down, the more things will be more affordable for more people."
Berkeley's real estate market remains one of the priciest in the region. According to the Bay East Association of Realtors, of the 66 single-family homes sold last month in Berkeley, the median price was $1,812,500.
"With what we're projecting, in terms of 50 to 100 homes per year, that's an incremental change," Kesarwani said. "So it'll give us the opportunity to adapt and adjust."
Still, not everyone is on board. Some residents fear the zoning change could alter the character of Berkeley's neighborhoods and put added strain on infrastructure.
"Why Berkeley, which is already so densely populated and already so hard to get around in?" asked longtime resident Clifford Fred. "It just doesn't make any sense to me."
Fred said he's concerned about traffic congestion and limited parking. "Older people who don't have driveways, people need their parking spaces," he said. "I don't think it's selfish for people to have parking spaces near their home."
Opponents also criticized the ordinance for not including specific requirements for affordable housing units. But supporters like Horbinski remain hopeful that smaller, lower-cost units will eventually make ownership more attainable.
"I think eventually I'll be able to get to a place where I could have a condo or a unit in one of these sort of missing-middle type places," she said.
The zoning change is expected to take effect in November. Berkeley follows in the footsteps of Sacramento, which passed a similar measure last year. Santa Rosa is reportedly considering a comparable proposal.
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