This is an open letter about a proposed construction project at 1752 Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California.
I am concerned about this project for a number of reasons:
Underground storage tanks. This is a high-risk site, and it appears no organization has properly analyzed the soil or groundwater since 1994.
As we know, this site was a gas station from 1933 to the early 1980s, and was an auto repair, smog testing, and oil change site until very recently. The site contained 3 underground storage tanks for gasoline and apparently 1 for oil, which creates a risk of pollution and contamination for site dwellers.
It does not appear that there has been any physical examination of the site’s soil or groundwater since 1994, and even in that case, it is unclear what was actually done in 1994. As stated in paragraph 1.4 of their Phase 1 ESA conducted in September 2021, ACC Environmental Consultants made no attempt to actually inspect the “soil, water, [or] soil vapor” of the property. Since the site is essentially entirely paved, and has been used as a place of car repair, oil changing, etc. nearly continuously, I believe the City of Berkeley needs to conduct a proper analysis of the underground soil and groundwater for contaminants, which would require actually getting under the pavement to the areas where the USTs were.
Project height. The proposed building is unnaturally tall (7 stories and over 80 feet) for the area, where no nearby property north of Hearst is anywhere near that high. The building will limit sunshine for several hours each day for the street and a number of buildings across the street. It would also plunge the nearby children’s preschool in darkness during most of the morning.
Lack of parking. The quantity of additional parking (6 spaces) is laughable given the planned building occupancy. Occupants will certainly own cars and park on the street in an already quite crowded neighborhood. If we wish to limit the parking impact on the neighborhood, there is a simple solution: to make residents of this address unable to apply for residential parking permits.
Building design. The design of the structure is industrial and completely out of character for the neighborhood. The building has a completely vertical facade which will loom over Shattuck and Francisco streets.
In summary, the building is potentially hazardous to its occupants, much too tall for its neighborhood, and the parking impact needs to be assessed.
Let me be clear: I want more multifamily, low-income housing in Berkeley — including in my neighborhood, and even at this site! I just want it to be proven to be clean and for it to fit well with existing buildings.
Sincerely,
Daniel Silver