Ace Hardware at 2145 University Ave. may be the first business to feel the effects of the changes to come to Downtown Berkeley as part of the Downtown Area Plan.
The owners of the store, which has been in Berkeley since 1895, are in talks with the Chicago-based company Equity Residential. The firm purchased the block that Ace resides on, but nothing has been decided yet, according to Ace Hardware co-owner Virginia Carpenter.
The development stems from the passage of voter-approved Measure R, which was introduced as an alternative to the Downtown Area Plan in 2009 to revitalize and rejuvenate the Downtown area economically and structurally. Measure R passed with 64 percent of the vote in the 2010 November election.
The proposed project will be presented to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and the Zoning Adjustments Board at the end of the year, and, if the project is passed, the construction will begin next year, said Berkeley City Councilmember Jesse Arreguin. One of the issues that will be brought up at these meetings is what will happen to the businesses that currently reside in the area, he said.
According to campaign records from 2010, Equity Residential donated $25,000 to the “Yes on R” campaign. Equity Residential could not be reached for comment.
Ace Hardware is currently speaking to the firm while trying to decide how to proceed. However, “nothing has been finalized,” said Carpenter, who added that she could not comment any further.
Arreguin said the plan has been a source of contention between the developers and some Berkeley residents who want to protect the historical integrity of the area.
“This is one of the biggest projects the city of Berkeley has undertaken in its entire history,” Arreguin said.
He said that Equity Residential’s actions will set the precedent for other development in the area and that the project is an example of working with the private market to leverage community benefits while encouraging economic revitalization and new housing.
Contact Aliyah Mohammed at [email protected]
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Leave Ace Hardware where it is. This is the only hardware store within miles.
I also very much like having Ace downtown, as I live within walking distance and often make stops there among my errands downtown. What I think would be ideal is to have more dense development with stores on the street level and affordable residences (apartments or condos) above. But what happens to the store in the meantime?
Ace Hardware in that location with a parking lot is a tremendous asset to the City of Berkeley and the university community as can be observed by the volume of business that is transacted. There is almost always a line to check out even though there are at least three cashiers working at all times. Without Ace, it will mean having to travel to Orchard in SW Berkeley or to Pastime in El Cerrito, about equidistant to many, leading to tens of thousands of miles of additional driving in a given year by customers who would have gone to the Ace on University. While these stores have a large selection of hardware items, they do not have the hobby and crafts selection of the basement floor, such as the large inventory of model trains. I often walk there and so do many others. Many students come by means of walking or by bicycle. The City(ZAB, Landmarks Preservation, City Council) should stipulate that any development plans for that block include a long term lease to Ace at a reasonable rent that includes parking for customers. I doubt the utility of Ace in its present location with parking can be overestimated. Honestly, do we really need any more over priced rabbit hutch student apartment complexes in this city with windowless bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, all of which require artificial lighting and ventilation even during the daylight hours. No, we do not.
So who cares? The Dully Kalifornian shoots and misses, again!