California BART Housing Designs Take Shape
What BART Housing Is Planned in Berkeley?In Berkeley, BART's North Berkeley transit-oriented development plan calls for 739 new homes across 13 mixed-use buildings. Residential structures would rise from three to eight stories.The project would create a new mixed-use neighborhood and move up to 120 existing parking spaces into a public garage. Five housing buildings would be independently owned and built. The development is planned on about 8.2 acres of BART-owned land surrounding North Berkeley station, including the main parking area, anchoring the station site for redevelopment. Like other transit-oriented projects, it emphasizes walkability and transit access as a core planning goal.Affordable Mix Dominates Early DeliveryThe affordable mix is unusually large. BART and city documents show 381 units, or 51 percent, would be deed-restricted affordable for households earning 30 to 70 percent of area median income.Phase 1 centers on 265 affordable units from BRIDGE, EBALDC, and Insight. That group includes family housing, supportive housing, and 15 homes reserved for formerly homeless residents.Approvals Intensify Schedule PressureThe construction timeline remains compressed. Entitlements were approved in December 2024, with construction expected to begin in 2025.What’s Planned at Ashby BART?At Ashby BART, a far-reaching transit-oriented proposal is taking shape after the BART Board unanimously selected Adeline Alliance Partners to lead the redevelopment effort.Early concepts outline about 618 apartments across five buildings on the four-acre site, with heights up to seven stories.The affordable mix is central to the plan. It includes two market-rate buildings, two affordable family complexes, and one senior housing building.The current plan calls for about 618 homes, which exceeds the early estimate. It also includes a 50-50 affordable mix, aligning with strong local goals.Five buildings are proposed in total, with heights reaching up to seven stories. That gives a clear sense of the project’s overall intensity.Around 25,000 square feet of retail and office space is also planned. Berkeley is supporting affordability with $26.5 million.Designs remain preliminary and are still subject to future negotiation and refinement.What’s Next for North Berkeley BART?Securing approvals has sharply advanced the next stage at North Berkeley BART. Berkeley granted entitlements in December 2024 through a ministerial review process that concluded in just 10 months.The one-year ENA extension in 2025 gives North Berkeley Housing Partners more time to assemble financing and move permits forward at 1700 Sacramento Street under AB 2011.Risks and Immediate PrioritiesDevelopers still face funding hurdles before a spring 2026 groundbreaking can occur. The first phase centers on three affordable buildings, open space, and Insight Housing’s 85-unit project.Faster approvals brought relief.Filed permits signaled momentum.Funding hurdles still threaten timing.Community engagement remains essential.Public input remains important, much like community feedback shaping transit-oriented housing efforts in other regions.Later phases would add market-rate and affordable buildings, public outdoor space, child care, retail, and structured parking for residents and BART riders.How Does El Cerrito BART Compare?By contrast, El Cerrito Plaza BART is moving forward on a larger and more fully defined transit-oriented redevelopment.Plans call for 743 apartments across six buildings on 6.5 acres.Nearly half the homes, or 47%, are set below market rate. That signals a deeper affordability commitment than many station-area projects.Units are aimed at households earning roughly 30% to 80% of area median income.Community impact is expected to be substantial, with about 1,500 new residents.The project also includes a public park, ground-floor commercial uses, and space for a library.The first phase, Parcel A South, adds 70 affordable family apartments. It is already under construction.
Transit access improvements also help set the plan apart.A new busway, upgraded stops, bike connections, and replacement parking are planned alongside the housing.Completion of the first phase is expected in late 2027.How Zoning Is Speeding BART HousingState zoning mandates are now doing much of the work that local approvals once slowed.AB 2923 forces cities near BART to rezone station-area land to meet transit-oriented standards, including baseline density, height, FAR, and parking rules. That means eligible sites cannot fall below 75 units per acre, and Lafayette's 11-acre lot must allow about 825 homes.Faster TimelinesFamilies see stalled land move toward housing.Affordability targets release SB 35 acceleration.Parking reform cuts costs and uncertainty.Labor standards remain tied to faster approvals.Projects with at least 50 percent residential use and enough affordable units can bypass lengthy discretionary review under SB 35.New state measures also remove density caps and many parking minimums, while SB 79 signals even taller transit-zone housing beginning in 2026.AssessmentDesign plans for BART-linked housing in Berkeley and El Cerrito are moving from broad policy into visible site-level proposals.Ashby and North Berkeley reflect differing timelines, constraints, and redevelopment pressures. El Cerrito offers a more advanced comparison point.Together, the projects show how zoning changes and transit-agency land strategies are accelerating dense residential construction near stations.They are also reshaping East Bay development patterns, with lasting effects on affordability, land use, and neighborhood change.
