Apply for lottery with Property Manager
A new apartment building in Berkeley's downtown arts district will be taking lottery applications for four affordable units created through the City's Below Market Rate program.
Given the high cost of construction and land, inclusionary units in private developments are a critical way to increase the number of affordable housing units in the City.
Lottery applications due July 22, 2020
The Addison, located at 1950 Addison Street, features 107 residential units, with four apartments designated for Below Market Rate households - those making no more than $45,700 to $58,750 a year, depending on the unit type.
The four Below Market Rate units, which will be awarded by lottery, include one studio, two one-bedroom units, and one two-bedroom unit, with rents ranging from $1,002-$1,244 per month.
You must apply directly with the property manager to be entered into the lottery. Email AddisonApts@pinnacleliving.com or call (510) 993-0930 to request an application.
The deadline to apply is 5pm on Wednesday, July 22. The property manager will not accept applications after this deadline - there will be no exceptions.
The lottery will be held on August 3, 2020. Being selected through the lottery does not guarantee that your rental application will be approved. Your application must be reviewed for income documentation to determine if you meet eligibility requirements.
City policy makes these units possible
The Below Market Rate (BMR) units at the Addison were created through one of the many strategies the City uses to create affordable housing in Berkeley.
Housing Trust Fund
BMR units in new rental projects such as the Addison are the result of the City's Affordable Housing Mitigation Fee ordinance, which requires that a fee be paid into the Housing Trust Fund for each unit in the project or that a percentage of the units be made affordable to very low-income households. In the Addison project, a partial fee was paid into the Housing Trust Fund and a smaller percentage of units are reserved for very-low income households.
Typically, landlords can set any rent when a tenant vacates, even for rent-controlled units. However, rents set by the City's Below-Market-Rent program are permanently set below market rate, regardless of turnover. (Rents created through this program do increase as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's established income thresholds increase.)
Inclusionary requirements for condominiums
The City also has an inclusionary requirement for new ownership/condominium projects which requires that 20% of the total units be reserved for purchase by moderate income households.
Additional strategies to increase affordable housing supply
The City's Housing and Community Services Division does a number of things to create affordable housing, such as:
- providing low-cost loans
- connecting affordable housing developers to grant funding
- creating new leases of City land
- providing key City services to residents, and
- executing legal agreements and assisting with other essential steps.
To learn more about affordable housing resources in Berkeley, visit cityofberkeley.info/affordable. The City does not own or operate any housing.
For questions on the application process and lottery for the Addison, please contact the Addison directly at AddisonApts@pinnacleliving.com or call (510) 993-0930.
