Send feedback on draft revised Zoning Ordinance by September 30
Give feedback to help us make it easier to understand Berkeley's zoning laws, which govern what can be built and what activities can take place in a particular location.
These laws can be complicated, full of technical jargon and hard-to-find "hidden rules." Berkeley is no exception.
Simplifying these rules increases equity. Please give your input before September 30, and share this message with others. When making suggestions, keep in mind those who have the least access to architects, lawyers or resources to navigate systems.
Making Berkeley’s zoning easier to understand
We want every community member to be able to look at the Zoning Ordinance and easily understand:
- What can be built on a particular piece of property
- What uses are permitted on that property
- What process is required to get a project approved
The revised ordinance does not include any substantive changes to policy, zoning, or development standards. It simply reorganizes and reformats existing regulations to make them more accessible. Changes include:
- Adopted a simpler writing style, using shorter paragraphs, outlines, and subheadings to make it easy for anyone to understand the intent of a particular section at a glance
- Reorganized the document to be easier to navigate
- Consolidated similar sections to remove redundant information
- Replaced text descriptions of district borders with maps
- Added tables summarizing allowed uses for all residential, commercial, and manufacturing districts
The entire draft baseline Zoning Ordinance is available for review online.
Give feedback online using Berkeley Considers
We're asking community members to help us ensure the revised code is easy to understand by completing a short survey on Berkeley Considers, the City's moderated online engagement platform.
You can provide valuable feedback in as little as 10 minutes. The survey breaks down the draft Zoning Ordinance into nine sections. For each section, we want community members to tell us:
- Can it be understood by a person without a technical background?
- Is it organized so people can easily find what they are looking for?
- Is it easy to determine which rules apply to a project or property?
- Is it organized so people do not have to hunt for hidden information?
- Is it organized so people are unlikely to overlook something important?
The draft Zoning Ordinance is a long document, but you do not need to comment on every section. Feel free to review only the parts most relevant to you. Feedback of any length is valuable.
Berkeley Considers also offers the option of saving your comments and revisit the survey later to add comments on additional sections.
The survey closes September 30th.
Online Office Hours September 23 & 29
Ask questions or share your comments directly with project staff during drop-in online "office hours." Upcoming dates are:
For instructions on joining office hours by phone, or to see future opportunities to participate, visit the project webpage.
This Zoning Ordinance Revision Project is one part of Berkeley's larger Strategic Plan efforts to increase access and transparency in local government. Please complete the survey and help the City more clearly articulate its land use rules for easy use by you and your neighbors.
Send questions or comments to Justin Horner, Associate Planner, at jhorner@cityofberkeley.info.
