November 2022 – Public Input Phase Begins
The City now has a web page about the current Civic Center planning process. On Wednesday, November 15, 5-7 pm, the consultants will hold a public meeting at the Central Berkeley Public Library.
Read MoreOctober 2022 – BAHA program
During an online event by Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association on October 5, Daniella Thompson spoke about the history and significance of the Maudelle Shirek Building. Marc Steyer of Tipping Structural Engineers spoke about his company’s research into the seismic weaknesses of both buildings and how they could be addressed. See his slides here: 2022-10-05 Berkeley…
Read MoreSeptember 2022 – Entering Phase Two
An online meeting on September 29 included representatives from the project planning team, CCCC, and four City commissions—Public Works, Civic Arts, Landmarks and Parks. The project team gave a presentation illustrated with the slides shown here on the City’s webpage for the Civic Center project. New concept drawings (see below) seemed to: relegate the Historical…
Read MoreAugust 2022 – More on Measure L
The bond measure details and the summary with pro and con arguments are now available here. We appreciate that “Revitalize our Civic Center buildings and Park” is included in the summary. Berkeley Architectural Heritage Association (BAHA) will host a free Zoom webinar, “Saving Our Civic Center’s Crown Jewel,” on October 6 at 6 pm (register…
Read MoreAugust 2022 – Bond Measure to Go on November Ballot
The City Council voted on August 3 to proceed with a $650 million bond measure. While the Civic Center is still included in “a long list of other infrastructure priorities such as improvements to Berkeley’s waterfront, parks, pools and civic center” [Berkeleyside], the $100 million for that category is an improvement over the June suggestion…
Read MoreJuly 2022 – Bond Measure Deliberations Continue
According to an 8/3/22 memo from the City Manager to the Mayor and Council: At the July 26, 2022 City Council meeting the council directed staff to schedule a special meeting to be held on August 3, and to return with a revised single bond measure in an amount from $600 million to $650 million,…
Read MoreJune 2022 – Will Civic Center Be Funded If Bond Measure Passes?
At this point, inclusion in the projects the proposed bond measure would fund is not guaranteed. The City Council will have a special meeting about the bond measure on Tuesday, June 21, at 6 pm–agenda packet here. Of interest is the following outline for the $150 million infrastructure part: $90M for climate change, wildfire protection,…
Read MoreJune 2022 – Council Tentatively Approves Bond Measure
At its May 31 meeting the City Council approved proceeding with a $300 million bond measure. Berkeleyside reported: “The $150 million the bond would raise for affordable housing could allow the city to build or preserve hundreds of homes for less-wealthy residents, though the exact amount will depend on additional funding from other sources like…
Read MoreMay 2022 – Bond Measure Alternatives Go to City Council
Public Works has prepared a report for the Council following the latest opinion survey. The revenue measure combination that comes closest (61-63%) to 2/3 support is a $300M bond (1/2 to affordable housing, 1/2 to other infrastructure for which the Civic Center could be eligible) paired with a 30 cent per square foot parcel tax…
Read MoreApril 2022 – City Contracts with Siegel & Strain
In our April CCCC meeting, Liam Garland announced that Siegel & Strain Architects will be leading the next phase of Civic Center planning. Eleanor Hollander of the City’s Office of Economic Development and Elmar Kapfer of Public Works will co-manage the project, and Gehl Studio will be brought in again for public input. On May…
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