The Berkeley City Council is set to vote tonight on whether to implement the Downtown Area Plan, which could bring up to seven tall buildings to the city’s downtown area.
The plan would allow for:
- four buildings that are up to 120 feet tall, two of which are reserved for UC Berkeley
- three other buildings that can be up to 180 feet tall
The heights of these buildings have been the source of most of the contention surrounding the plan, and are also the most clearly delineated parts of the plan. Other provisions include green building standards, as well as fees on new development that will go toward affordable housing.
Although the Downtown Area Plan has been seven years in the making, and re-making, it seems to have finally gathered enough popular support to pass tonight.