More housing could be on the way across Berkeley after city leaders late Wednesday night advanced a state-required plan to build nearly 9,000 homes by 2031.
After critics of the original 600-page plan, dubbed the Housing Element, felt it didn't spread out the new construction to include wealthier neighborhoods, the City Council approved an amendment that commits Berkeley to rezoning such areas for more housing development.
Much of the focus of recent housing development in the city has been with projects along Shattuck Avenue in the downtown area.
The plan doesn’t list any specific projects, but it does lay out a vision of what housing in Berkeley could look like in the next several years.
The city was required by the state to complete the plan by the end of January. By comparison, the same state mandate calls for 82,000 housing units San Francisco, 62,000 in San Jose and more than 26,000 in Oakland.
Berkeley's plan will now go to the state for final approval.
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