Volunteers in Berkeley, Calif., are collecting signatures for the “Green Downtown & Public Commons Initiative,” a controversial measure that critics charge would halt some development in the city. The initiative has higher green standards and less flexible design guidelines—factors that developers say could stop two major projects, a proposed 180-foot high hotel and a 17-story apartment tower.
The initiative would mandate that developers planning a project taller than 60 feet use the “Green Pathways” provision of the Downtown Area Plan. This rule—currently optional—says that a developer can provide a higher level of community benefits in exchange for a fast-track approval process. Under Green Pathways, developers have to make structures LEED Platinum rather than LEED Gold; build more parking; include spaces for bicycles, electric cars and the handicapped; pay prevailing wages to construction and hotel workers; and make sure that half of a project’s construction workers are Berkeley residents.
The financial proposition for a high-rise hotel in Berkeley is fragile, according to a representative of the proposed hotel, and the new initiative would require additional setbacks and restrictions that would make it impossible to have enough rooms on each floor to make the project viable. The initiative calls for a minimum 15-foot setback, but the hotel developer says the structure must have a 10-foot setback to have enough space per floor.
City Councilman Jesse Arreguín, who supports the measure, says it is not intended to stop development, but is a way of getting developers to contribute more benefits to the downtown area.
Related Stories
Building Technology | Jan 7, 2020
Tariff whiplash for bifacial solar modules
Bifacial solar systems offer many advantages over traditional systems.
Codes and Standards | Jan 7, 2020
New certification program for rigid core luxury vinyl tile
ASSURE CERTIFIED to establish industry-wide quality standards.
Codes and Standards | Jan 7, 2020
Boston’s beefed up wetlands ordinance will limit development
Conservation commission must consider future climate impacts when assessing new projects.
Codes and Standards | Jan 6, 2020
States pick up the slack in efficiency policy as federal government lags
With climate change deniers setting policy in Trump Administration, progress continues in statehouses.
Codes and Standards | Jan 6, 2020
OSHA plans multiple revisions to rules impacting construction industry in 2020
Cranes and derricks, welding in confined spaces, beryllium exposure, and more on docket.
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2020
Labor supply and capability of workers worry contractors
Three out of four firms plan to add workers in 2020.
Codes and Standards | Jan 3, 2020
Car-free streets could become common in major cities
New York and San Francisco establish thoroughfares dedicated to transit, pedestrians.
Codes and Standards | Jan 2, 2020
CRE professionals have increased interest in embodied carbon accounting, smart buildings
Survey also shows that interest in resiliency lags behind.
Codes and Standards | Jan 2, 2020
White paper focuses on Metal Composite Material labeling
Document part of effort to uphold industry standards for the product.
Codes and Standards | Dec 18, 2019
Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans puts spotlight on undocumented workers
Having helped rebuild the city after Hurricane Katrina, many under threat of deportation.