1900 Sixth St. could one day feature multiple stories of affordable housing for seniors. Image: Google Maps
The Berkeley City Council voted Tuesday night to analyze the possibility of service-rich senior housing on the parcel now occupied by the West Berkeley Service Center.
Councilwoman Susan Wengraf originally had asked the city, in 2016, to review all the properties it owns to determine which might be the best fit for affordable housing. That evolved into a proposal, the next year, to explore the concept of senior housing at three senior centers, in North Berkeley, West Berkeley and South Berkeley. Council ultimately put the West Berkeley Service Center, at 1900 Sixth St., on its “high priority” list for senior housing.
The idea, according to the staff report for Tuesday’s meeting, is to build senior housing with on-site services, “maximizing the number of affordable units.” The council vote Tuesday gives the city manager the authority to look at a range of possible “build-out scenarios” for a three- to seven-story project.
Although the vote took place as part of the consent calendar, which meant there was limited discussion about the item, several council members expressed excitement about the idea.
“I think it’s a wonderful location for us to be considering building senior housing,” Wengraf told her colleagues. (Wengraf took part in Tuesday’s meeting by phone.)
The West Berkeley site is promising, according to the city, because of its proximity to transit, shopping and existing services for seniors. And its zoning already allows for multifamily development. By contrast, the senior centers in North and South Berkeley have more restrictive residential zoning. In addition, the proximity of the BART tunnel to the North Berkeley Senior Center limits what can be built there.
A 2017 analysis of the site by the city found that, while nearby buildings are just one or two stories tall, there are four- to five-story buildings on University Avenue a block away. The staff analysis found that “changing the zoning could help maximize the site’s development potential,” while also noting that “Demolishing and replacing the service center … would add significantly to the cost of housing development at the site.”
Councilwoman Sophie Hahn thanked Wengraf for bringing the item forward, and thanked Mayor Jesse Arreguín for his work to develop the idea over time. She said the consent calendar item was a testament to the fact that council’s new committee structure — where several council members hash out items in smaller groups before bringing them to the full council for a vote — is working.
“The mayor was very patient and took a lot of input from the commission and from staff,” Hahn said. “It was a good item when it came to us [on the committee], but I think it’s even better as it came through and as we see it now on our agenda.”
While the ultimate height of the building has yet to be determined, all “scenarios should also incorporate space on the ground floor for resident amenities, supportive social services, and community space,” according to the staff report. The ideas that come from the staff analysis will go before the City Council and Planning Commission, among other stakeholders and city bodies, for review.
Council says senior housing should be a priority, in part, because that segment of Berkeley’s population is “expected to skyrocket over the next decade,” according to Tuesday’s staff report. In 2000, adults 65 and older made up about 10% of the city’s residents. The city says that number is expected to double by 2030.
Meanwhile, as with other segments of the population, the housing supply has not kept pace with the demand. According to the city, “Affordable housing is particularly limited with wait lists for some senior housing projects between 6-8 years.”
The West Berkeley Service Center, at Sixth Street and Hearst Avenue, is located on a 31,000 square-foot parcel. The site has “plentiful” access to public transit “with several high-frequency AC Transit routes and Amtrak located within half a mile.” The Fourth Street shopping area is nearby, as are a number of community health care facilities, according to the city.
As currently conceived, the project would focus on universally designed, affordable housing for older adults; incorporate the latest in technology; offer services and provide a community hub; have an assisted living and memory care component; and seek to maximize sustainability and energy efficiency.
Tenants currently located at the site include the city’s Aging Services staff, the Black Infant Health Program, Public Health Nurses and the Meals on Wheels program. In addition, services from the North Berkeley Senior Center are being provided at the West Berkeley site until 2020 while the North Berkeley center undergoes renovations.
The city initially planned to update the West Berkeley Senior Center as a Measure T1 project but later determined that “what this site needs is beyond an infrastructure upgrade, and its history as a hub for senior services presents an opportunity,” according to the staff report. “West Berkeley has an extremely limited number of affordable housing units for seniors, despite being in a location that is easily accessible to various medical and aging services.”
The city says the new project would likely be funded by Measure O, along with tax credits and other sources, and could become “the gold standard for aging in place in our community, and the region.”
Plans for a new Kaiser Permanente medical office at 2621 10th St. have been approved in Berkeley. Seen here: The San Pablo Avenue frontage. The complex also has frontage on 10th Street. Image: Gould Evans
Berkeley officials approved plans Tuesday night for a 61,000-square-foot Kaiser Permanente medical office building on San Pablo Avenue south of Parker Street after property owner Wareham Development agreed to give four months of free rent to several of its struggling tenants who have to move.
Shortly after 11 p.m., the Berkeley City Council voted 8-0-1 in favor of Kaiser’s plans in response to a motion by Mayor Jesse Arreguín. Arreguín said he is confident the medical offices, at 2621 10th St., will bring significant benefits to Berkeley and that the city will find a way to keep the impacted local businesses in town. West Berkeley Councilwoman Cheryl Davila, who represents the district where the medical facility would be located, was the lone abstention from the vote.
Kaiser Permanente could open in Berkeley as soon as 2021, Wareham Development executive Chris Barlow estimated after the vote. The project, designed by San Francisco architecture firm Gould Evans, rises three stories and would offer adult family medicine services, pediatrics, mental health care, a pharmacy and other outpatient offerings as well as a café. In an April 30 letter to the mayor, Kaiser said it expects the new facility to employ more than 136 people and serve its 58,000 members who live in Berkeley. Berkeleyside broke the news in December about the health care giant’s interest in Berkeley.
As part of the late-night deal — brokered from the dais by Councilwoman Susan Wengraf — Barlow agreed, with just a touch of hesitation, to give three of Wareham’s Carleton Street tenants free rent from July through October. The relief was palpable at the end of the night, as Barlow exchanged vigorous handshakes with the owners of two of those businesses — who have repeatedly expressed dismay about the loss of their longtime locations and concerns about the future — in recognition of the hard-won agreement.
“We’re delighted that, after a long process, that the council has approved this project,” Barlow said after the vote. “We think it’s going to be a fabulous asset to the city of Berkeley and its citizens and we look forward to bringing it to completion.”
City staff listen to council during Tuesday’s appeal hearing on Kaiser Permanente. Photo: Emilie Raguso
No one from Kaiser Permanente has addressed city officials during council or zoning board meetings about the project over the past six months or so. But the medical provider assured the mayor, in Tuesday’s letter, that it is “engaged in definitive efforts … to extend our health services into the Berkeley community.” Kaiser told the mayor this would not be possible, however, without a council vote to approve its use permit.
Tuesday’s vote partially overturned a zoning board vote in January that granted the medical center its use permit but rejected its plans for an off-site parking lot on the Pardee Block, just west of 10th Street between Carleton and Pardee streets, catty-corner to the proposed medical offices. Zoning board members said, at the time of that vote, that they could not bear to see the loss of businesses on the block — Mobility Systems, Saab Replay and Commercial Titan Wraps — which said their survival would be in jeopardy as a result of Wareham’s plans.
Barlow has explained to officials repeatedly, in meeting after meeting, that the leases for those businesses would be up this year or, in the wrap shop’s case, that early-termination terms in its lease had been clear: He said the businesses would need to leave in 2019 no matter what the city wanted. Wareham has long had plans to develop the Pardee Block and has been direct about that with tenants, Barlow has told officials previously. Wareham appealed the zoning board vote soon after it happened, which is how it came before council Tuesday.
The view from the northeast, with San Pablo on the left and Parker in the foreground. Image: Gould Evans
Kaiser Permanente, which is headquartered in Oakland, was founded in 1945. It describes itself as “one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit health plans, serving 12.2 million members.” Wareham submitted an application in late 2016 for a medical office and research facility at 1050 Parker St., now listed in project documents by the 10th Street address. Kaiser later expressed an interest to Wareham, which led to a change in course for the project after its use permit was initially approved, Barlow said.
During the two-hour appeal hearing, a few people told council the project was at odds with the West Berkeley Plan, which the city adopted in 1993. The loss of manufacturing and industrial uses in West Berkeley, as described in that plan, has been a consistent issue of neighborhood concern over the years. But public comment on the item was relatively brief. It was also, at times, emotional, as proponents of the Carleton Street businesses told officials how much their services matter.
Despite a range of opinions on the medical center’s proposal itself, there was widespread agreement Tuesday night that the city’s own parking requirements for medical facilities were a significant hurdle. But Barlow also told council a consultant had independently reviewed the city’s parking ratio in light of Kaiser’s needs and similar projects nearby and found it to be reasonable. Kaiser plans to offer 115 vehicle parking spots, primarily for patients, on-site in a surface lot, and another 88 spaces for staff catty-corner on the Pardee Block in another surface lot. There will also be parking for nearly 50 bicycles.
Some community members and council members contended Tuesday that Kaiser Permanente can easily afford to build a parking structure, perhaps underground, which would take less space and leave existing businesses alone. Barlow said that would not be possible because it would cost $55,000 to $65,000 per spot and delay the project.
Officials made it clear during their comments that they want the city to push hard to keep the Carleton Street businesses in Berkeley if possible. As part of the council vote, City Manager Dee Williams-Ridley promised the city’s Office of Economic Development would do what it could to help locate appropriate new spaces. Mayor Arreguín said he had faith in the possibility of a local solution for all the businesses.
The fate of Mobility Systems in particular — a more than 40-year-old auto dealer and repair shop focused on the needs of the disability community — drew significant attention Tuesday night. One person described it as a vital community service. Another speaker, Kelly Hammargren, broke down in tears recounting how important a disability van was to the quality of her husband’s life.
Councilman Ben Bartlett remarked that he saw Mobility Systems as a health care provider in its own right. He said he’d like to see Kaiser Permanente step up to help ensure the business can stay in the city.
Mobility Systems owner William Fryckman told Berkeleyside he was relieved after the vote and had been heartened by the significant support evidenced by city officials and the community. Fryckman says he already lost $40,000 when he tried to move to a nearby location but was ultimately stymied by the city. He told the city it would likely take work to tackle the challenge.
Saab Replay’s owner, Randy Roche, told council that businesses on the block and their neighbors have a strong sense of community that he will be sad to lose. Roche said two of the employees in his repair shop have been there since it opened more than 20 years ago. A newer employee, holding his young daughter in his arms, told council how much his Saab Replay job means to him and what a special place it is to work.
Roche told council he had known since he bought the shop 10 years ago from the original owner that he would one day have to move: “I don’t want to demonize Wareham. They’ve been very fair to us over the years,” he said.
Although Saab ceased operations in 2012, Roche said Berkeley is one of the biggest markets in the nation for owners of the vehicle. Saab Replay is the last specialty Saab shop in the state, he added. Roche concurred with Fryckman’s experience about the challenge of finding new space in Berkeley for auto uses due to the city’s restrictive zoning code and also because many landlords would rather rent to cannabis businesses, breweries and art galleries.
Councilwomen Sophie Hahn and Kate Harrison said they were only supporting the project in its current form grudgingly. They both argued in favor of finding a way to reduce the city’s parking requirements, but staff said the available data did not support that approach.
“I feel terrible about this. I hate this choice,” Harrison said from the dais before the vote. She said she also wished the city had looked closer at land-value recapture, but that the time for that had passed.
Hahn called Barlow’s agreement to let the businesses have four months of free rent a “devil’s bargain.” She said she was disappointed because she thought Wareham could have tried harder to find another viable option and let the businesses on the Pardee Block stay on. But she said there weren’t a lot of options at this point.
“I don’t think denying this solves any of the problems we have,” Hahn said, “And I think we have some real problems with loss of this kind of space.” She said it would ultimately, however, be up to Wareham — as the property owner — to decide what to do with the block.
Davila asked Wareham if it could provide parking across the street from the medical office at its Fantasy Studios property. As an alternative, she said Wareham should investigate whether it could lease parking at the Bank of America site nearby. Barlow said neither option was a possibility for multiple reasons.
Davila also asked Barlow to throw in a fifth month of free rent to the Pardee Block businesses. He declined.
Berkeley has grappled in recent years with the prospect of reduced access to medical care with the planned closure of Alta Bates hospital by 2030. Other medical facilities have opened in the city in the past five years, but community members say they can’t fill the void of a full-service hospital.
Tuesday night, most of the other action items on the agenda were postponed due to the lateness of the hour or because of scheduling changes requested by council.
Mayor Arreguín also announced, at the beginning of the meeting, that the Berkeley City Council had, Monday in closed session, granted the city attorney the authority to initiate a lawsuit against the University of California regents over some of its student housing plans and associated campus population estimates. Berkeleyside broke that news during the council meeting.
