Berkeley Mayor Urges University To ‘Be A Good Neighbor’

BERKELEY, CA — Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín wants residents to voice their views on UC Berkeley’s expansion plans, and he’s urging the university to listen.

The university’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP), housing projects, and a draft environmental impact report will be up for discussion at Tuesday night’s regular scheduled council meeting.

The proposed 2021 LRDP development program includes approximately 8,096,249 gross square feet of development, including approximately 11,073 student beds and 549 faculty and staff beds.

This is based on growth projections of 48,200 students and 19,000 faculty and staff in the 2036-37 academic year.

UC Berkeley is soliciting comments on the Draft 2021 LRDP and Draft EIR during a 45-day public comment period through April 21.

The LRDP guides land use and capital investment decisions for the university through the 2036-37 school year and is used to provide a basis for evaluating environmental impacts.

“From implications on traffic to air quality, historic buildings and concerns over wildfire safety, the scale of what’s being proposed has raised concerns from some residents,” Arreguín said in a statement.

“This is an opportunity for our constituents to be heard, and we encourage our partners at the University to hear them out and be a good neighbor.”

The 6 p.m. meeting can be viewed here.