Planning and Development Department
Land Use Planning Division
NOTICE OF PREPARATION (NOP) OF A
DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT AND
SCOPING SESSION FOR THE PROPOSED
2190 SHATTUCK AVENUE MIXED-USE PROJECT
The City of Berkeley is preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the
project identified below, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.3 (“Streamlining
for Infill Projects”). An Infill Environmental Checklist is also being prepared and will be
released with the Draft EIR. Project plans and other information are available at the
Zoning Counter in City of Berkeley Permit Service Center, Planning and Development
Department, 1947 Center Street, 2nd Floor, Berkeley, California or online at:
http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/Planning_and_Development/Zoning_Adjustment_Board/21
90_Shattuck.aspx
The City of Berkeley, as the Lead Agency for the project, invites you to comment on the
proposed scope of the Draft EIR. This notice is being sent to the State Clearinghouse,
adjacent cities, the University of California, and other interested parties. Please direct
comments on this NOP to: Leslie Mendez, Senior Planner, Planning and Development
Department, c/o Permit Service Center, Berkeley, California 94704; or
[email protected]. Comments on the NOP must be received on or before
February 6, 2017. In addition, comments may be provided at the EIR Scoping Meeting
(see below). Comments should focus on discussing possible impacts on the physical
environment, ways in which potential adverse effects might be minimized, and
alternatives to the project.
EIR PUBLIC SCOPING: The City of Berkeley will conduct a public scoping session on
January 26, 2017, as part of the regularly scheduled Zoning Adjustments Board
hearing starting at 7:00 PM at 2134 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way, 2nd Floor Council
Chambers, Berkeley, CA.
Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
January 5, 2017
PROJECT LOCATION: The project site, assessor’s parcel number (APN) 57-2026004-05, is located at 2190 Shattuck Avenue, on the northwest corner of Shattuck
Avenue and Allston Way, in the Downtown area of the City of Berkeley. The site has
frontage on Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way, and is adjacent to the southern edge of
the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Plaza associated with the Downtown Berkeley
BART station. It is accessible by several bus lines operated by the Alameda-Contra
Costa Transit District (AC Transit), including lines 6, 7, 12, 18, 25, 49, 51B, 52, 65, 67,
88, 800, 851, and F, along with shuttle buses serving the University of California,
Berkeley (UCB) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Local access is
provided by Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way. Regional vehicular access is provided
by Interstate 80 (I-80), California State Route 13 and California State Route 24. Figure 1
(attached) shows the project site’s immediate location and selected nearby features.
EXISTING CONDITIONS: The project site is in a part of downtown Berkeley with high
levels of pedestrian traffic and a mix of low-, mid-, and high-rise structures. The 19,967square-foot (0.46-acre) project site is an irregularly shaped but generally rectangular
property that faces Shattuck Avenue to the east and Allston Way to the south. A twostory, flat-roofed masonry building with a floor area of approximately 38,700 square feet
covers the entire project site. The building is largely rectangular with a stucco-clad
ground level and a brick-veneered second story. A Walgreens store currently occupies
the building. The parcel slopes gently toward the west.
PROJECT SPONSOR: PR III Shattuck LLC, 2190 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA
94704
PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The project would involve demolition of a two-story,
approximately 38,700 square-foot retail and office building and construction of an 18story, 211,590 square-foot mixed-use building. On the ground floor, the proposed
building would have commercial retail space with a floor area of approximately 10,000
square feet, an adjacent community area, and a residential lobby. The retail space
would front on the BART Plaza and wrap around to Allston Way. The applicant
anticipates that Walgreens would return to the site after construction and occupy the
ground-floor retail space. On the upper floors, the building would have 274 apartment
units, ranging in size from studios to two-bedroom units. The upper floors would step
back from Shattuck Avenue.
Motor vehicle parking would be provided in a two-level underground garage with 103
parking spaces, including five car share spaces. One hundred (100) bicycle parking
spaces would be provided, including 94 spaces for residents and six for commercial
users, along with a bicycle repair shop on the ground floor.
The project would include 21,924 square feet of residential open space on rooftop
terraces and gardens and private balconies for residents, and 224 square feet of private
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Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
January 5, 2017
commercial open space at the retail entrance. Other improvements within and facing the
public right-of-way may include seating and other pedestrian amenities at the BART
Plaza, in coordination with planned BART improvements at that site; enhanced stone
paving on the sidewalk, planted trees, and bike racks; and a Community Art Space
adjacent to the building lobby.
Figure 2 shows the proposed ground floor plan, and Figure 3 shows the proposed street
elevations.
REQUESTED APPROVALS: The proposed project is subject to approvals by the City of
Berkeley’s Zoning Adjustments Board. The project would require the following
discretionary entitlements from the City of Berkeley:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Demolition of the existing non-residential building, per Berkeley Municipal Code
(BMC) Section 23C.08.050.A: Use Permit required to allow the demolition.
Mixed Use Development, per Section 23E.68.030 of the Zoning Ordinance: Use
Permit required to establish a mixed-use development involving residential and
retail commercial uses in one building.
Construction of New Floor Area, per BMC 23E.68.050 of the Zoning Ordinance:
Use Permit required to construct more than 10,000 square feet of new floor area.
Building Height of 180 Feet, per BMC 23E.68.070.B: Use Permit required to
allow a maximum building height of 180 feet.
Building Width, per BMC 23E.68.070.C: Use Permit to allow portion of the
building exceeding 120 feet in height to be greater than 120 feet in width when
measured at the widest point on the diagonal in plan view.
Architectural Projections Over Height Limit, per BMC 23E.04.020.C:
Administrative Use Permit to allow architectural projections (e.g., mechanical
penthouses) to exceed the maximum height of 180 feet.
STREAMLINED CEQA PROCESSING FOR INFILL PROJECTS: The City’s
preliminary review indicates that the project may qualify for streamlined review under
CEQA Guidelines Section 15183.3, due to its potential conformance with the eligibility
requirements of CEQA guidelines section 15183.3. The purpose of Guidelines section
15183.3 is to allow lead agencies to limit the topics subject to CEQA review at the
project level “where the effects of infill development have been addressed in a planning
level decision or by uniformly applicable development policies.” The primary planning
level decision is the adopted Downtown Area Plan, and the referenced environmental
documentation is the 2009 Downtown Area Plan EIR.
POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS: Based on site-specific characteristics and
City standard conditions of approval, and because it would be located on an infill site in
a transit priority area, the project is not anticipated to have significant impacts related to
the CEQA issue topics listed below. It is anticipated that these issue topics will only be
3
Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
January 5, 2017
analyzed in an Infill Environmental Checklist, which will be included as an appendix to
the Draft EIR.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Agriculture and Forest Resources
Biological Resources
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Hazards and Hazardous Materials
Hydrology and Water Quality
Land Use and Planning
Mineral Resources
Population and Housing
Public Services
Recreation
It is anticipated that the following topics will be analyzed in the Draft Environmental
Impact Report.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Aesthetics
Air Quality
Cultural Resources
Geology and Soils
Noise
Transportation/Traffic
Utilities and Service Systems
However, the Infill Environmental Checklist analysis will confirm which topics ultimately
require study in the Draft EIR. The Draft EIR will also examine a reasonable range of
alternatives to the project, including the CEQA-mandated No Project Alternative and
other potential alternatives that may be capable of reducing or avoiding potential
environmental effects.
Leslie Mendez, Senior Planner
Date of Distribution: January 5, 2017
Attachments: Figure 1: Project Location Map
Figure 2: Proposed Ground Floor Plan
Figure 3: Proposed Street Elevations
4
Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
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Imagery ©2016 , DigitalGlobe, U.S. Geological Survey
Imagery provided by Google and its licensors © 2016.
Project Location Map
Figure 1
City of Berkeley
Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
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Proposed Ground Floor Plan
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Figure 2
City of Berkeley
Notice of Preparation
2190 Shattuck Avenue Mixed-Use Project
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Proposed Street Elevations
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