Berkeley to Study Missing Middle Housing Options for Single-Family Residential Neighborhoods

Ariel Gans reports on efforts in Berkeley to potentially unlock the land use status quo that has held control of local politics in the city for decades.

According to Gans, "members of the Berkeley City Council aim to further tackle the housing crisis by potentially permitting triplexes in single-family neighborhoods."

The City Council voted on Tuesday to pursue a study into the proposal. The City Council is not currently proposing any zoning changes, as made clear on the Twitter account of Councilmember Lori Droste, who Gans describes as "the leading proponent of the study."

Droste's track record on the Berkeley City Council includes introducing the Green Affordable Housing package, "which works to remove the parking requirement for developments that included affordable housing, thus incentivizing residents to live closer to transit and bringing much-needed affordable housing to Berkeley more quickly," according to Gans.

The recent actions of the Berkeley City Council stand in contrast to positions taken by the city's mayor in 2018 and recent debates about density.