Once a vibrant center of Berkeley life, Telegraph Avenue now hosts a number of vacant storefronts and struggling businesses. But many of the city’s designers, engineers, architects and city planners hope that this will not be the case for long.
The Berkeley Design Advocates — a group of planners, architects and designers who promote planning in Berkeley — hosted a design conference to sketch out and present ideas for improving the area’s built environment. The event involved a Friday night information session to provide background on the status of Telegraph Avenue and a planning and presentation session on Saturday.
About 20 to 30 people attended Friday’s session, while approximately 40 attended the presentation on Saturday.
Among the design ideas the participants presented were making all the streets surrounding Telegraph — as well as Telegraph itself — two-way streets. Some planners said this is a good way to make the area an attraction as well as make it easier to travel on a bicycle.
As for the buildings themselves, most of the designers and planners voiced their desire to see more spaces dedicated to nightlife, high-end dining and regional attractions such as museums and theaters.
Architect Ryan Call emphasized the need to cater to the large student population with more student-oriented retail, such as putting in places to sell bedding, lighting and discount furniture in some of the larger retail spaces.
Also discussed at the meeting was the concentration of homelessness around Telegraph. Urban planners Jay Claiborne and Matt Taecker emphasized the need to provide services for the homeless in the area, since Telegraph is home to many homeless. They encouraged putting in supportive services, including places to provide help with job and life skills and mental health.
They also suggested the possibility of subsidized housing and a well-managed youth hostel for homeless and migratory youth in the area.
The Telegraph area has not always been so desperate for a revival. In the 1960s and 1970s, said Dave Fogarty, the city’s economic development coordinator, the avenue and surrounding streets provided the center of civic life in Berkeley.
According to Fogarty, even in 1990 Telegraph was the city’s largest business district, but there has since been a major decline in sales tax and retail.
“If you look at Telegraph as a whole and compare it with other districts, the problem is it hasn’t adapted,” Fogarty said. “All retail districts face problems. Some managed to reinvent themselves, and Telegraph hasn’t yet managed to do that.”
Staff writer Jaehak Yu contributed to this report.
Annie Sciacca covers city government.
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“Also discussed at the meeting was the concentration of homelessness around Telegraph. Urban planners Jay Claiborne and Matt Taecker emphasized the need to provide services for the homeless in the area, since Telegraph is home to many homeless. They encouraged putting in supportive services, including places to provide help with job and life skills and mental health. They also suggested the possibility of subsidized housing and a well-managed youth hostel for homeless and
migratory youth in the area.”
Proof positive how NOBODY associated with the City of Berkeley understands how economic incentives for bad behavior only provide more of the same.
Oh my god, they’re going to make things worse. A youth hostel for “migratory youth”?! Oh please oh please go away guys.
These “planners” are idiots. Doing anything to increase the number of homeless people in the area (“support services”, “subsidized housing”, whatever) is exactly what telegraph does NOT need.
Lulz, “subsidized housing” would mean that they are NOT homeless anymore you deep thinker you!
You can put pigs in a park or move them into a poke, but they are still pigs. Until the bums are moved out of the Telegraph area, it will remain a derelict destination…
That won’t solve the entire problem, but it will definitely be a step in the right direction. The next one would be some type of educational program for incoming students along the lines of “Please don’t feed the wild animals”.
Seriously, the homeless are not originally from Berkeley and have no ties to Berkeley. The more services, the more homeless attracted to Telegraph. The first priority should be development of the UC Regents owned vacant lot bounded by Haste, Dwight and Bowditch. Take care of that and eliminate any homeless services from being provided within a half mile radius of Telegraph and the free market will revitalize Telegraph.
Even making it a paid parking lot with on-site security to keep the riff-raff at bay would be a major improvement.