By Emilie Raguso, Berkeleyside
More than 1,400 housing units are currently in development in downtown Berkeley, with demolition preparations on one of the first big projects getting under way this week.
There are eight projects, including a hotel, planned in the downtown core. Two more are planned just south of downtown, on Dwight Way, with another proposal on University Avenue just west of downtown that’s set to have its first public city review next week.
Pre-demolition work on a former church-turned-office-space started this week, according to the Downtown Berkeley Association. CEO John Caner said that construction work on a new apartment complex at the site, The Durant, with frontage on both Durant Avenue and Channing Way, should start several weeks from now.
According to Downtown Berkeley Association calculations, the new projects will bring at least 1,414 new units and more than 88,000 square feet of new retail space to the downtown area. Not included in those calculations is the project just beginning city review, The Overture, which would bring an additional 44 units and 4,151 square feet of retail and restaurant space to the city’s core.