Ashby and North Berkeley BART Station Planning

Share your vision for the future of housing, open space, and community amenities at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations.

Planning is underway to re-imagine the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations as vibrant places that include housing, open space, and community amenities.

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NEWS & UPDATES

On December 3, 2024, the City Council approved an ordinance (No. 7,939-N.S.) authorizing agreements with BART, aligning with the term sheet adopted in September 2024. That same day, the City and BART issued a joint Request for Proposals (RFP) and Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) for developers of the Ashby BART West Lot. The RFP/NOFA is available on BART's project website .

On December 6, 2024, the City published Preliminary Objective Design Standards (ODS) for the Ashby BART West Lot, reflecting City and BART policies, state laws, and community input.

On December 11, 2024, the City approved a land use application under AB 2011 for the North Berkeley BART site. The project includes 739 homes, 381 of which will be affordable to lower-income households, as well as public open space improvements. View the application details at Permits Online by entering Permit Number PLN2024-0010 under the "Zoning" tab.

Project Background

Spurred by the passage of Assembly Bill 2923 (AB 2923) in 2018, the City and BART have been collaborating to facilitate transit-oriented development at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites.

Key milestones to advance transit-oriented development at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites are listed below.

Timeline of key milestones
Date	Milestone
September 2018	Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2923. This state legislation affects zoning requirements on existing BART-owned property within 1/2 mile of stations in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties.
March 2020	Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between City and BART. This established a framework for the development of the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations, including a community advisory process and other community engagement; milestones and a timeline to develop zoning that complies with AB 2923; solicitation of developer(s); and further studies/planning for the two station areas.
June 2020 - December 2021	Community Advisory Group Meetings. BART and the City worked closely with a Council-appointed Community Advisory Group (CAG), meeting eight times to create the foundation for development at both the Ashby BART and North Berkeley stations and address issues of affordable housing, land use, station access, building form, and new public spaces that would benefit the current and future residents as well as BART riders.
April 2021	Affordable Housing Funding. Reservation by City Council of $53 million of City affordable housing funding for the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites.
June 2022	Joint Vision and Priorities (JVP) Document. The Berkeley City Council and the BART Board approved the JVP, which expresses the City and BART's shared, high-level expectations for the future development of both stations.
June 2022	R-BMU Zoning. In accordance with AB 2923, the Berkeley City Council adopted a new Chapter 23.202.150 in the Zoning Ordinance adding a "Residential - BART Mixed Use (R-BMU)" zoning district to govern development at the North Berkeley and Ashby BART stations.
June 2022	Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between City and BART. This agreement is to cooperatively pursue transit-oriented development (TOD) at the North Berkeley and Ashby BART stations. It is made in furtherance of the MOU, signed in 2020, and JVP, signed in 2022. The MOA primarily addresses the North Berkeley BART Project.
November 2022	Ashby BART - Adeline Street Right-of-Way Design. The City Council approved a preferred design concept to redesign the Adeline Street Right-of-Way at Ashby BART; provided information about the City's policies for managing parking around BART stations.
December 2022	North Berkeley BART Station Developer Team. BART Board of Directors approved the selected developer team: North Berkeley Housing Partners (NBHP), is composed of three affordable housing nonprofits - BRIDGE Housing, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, and Insight Housing - as well as a developer of market-rate homes, AvalonBay Communities.
December 2023	North Berkeley BART Objective Design Standards (ODS). The Berkeley City Council adopted the North Berkeley BART Station Area Objective Design Standards. Objective Design Standard-focused events and related materials can be found under Past Events below.
February 2024	North Berkeley BART Project Submittal. North Berkeley Housing Partners submitted a housing project application for streamlined entitlement pursuant to AB 2011.
September 2024	City Council Adoption of Nonbinding Term Sheet. City Council adoption of nonbinding Term Sheet for Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development on September 16, 2024 (Resolution No. 71,514-N.S.) and executed by the City and BART on September 21, 2024
December 2024	City Council Adoption of Ordinance 7,939-N.S. City Council adoption of Ordinance 7,939-N.S. - Authorizing Exchange of Real Property For Development of Ashby BART Station Property