NORTH BERKELEY
BART
North Berkeley BART bridges interests
Yes Community Architects (YCA), serving as associate architects, partnered with BART and the City of Berkeley to lead an extensive community engagement process—over 48 meetings—for a transformative project that will replace vast surface parking lots at the North Berkeley BART station with 750 new homes. Through collaborative charrettes, diverse listening sessions, and hands-on workshops grounded in fact-finding and trust-building, YCA helped design and entitle the development in record time, advancing under California’s latest pro-housing legislation (AB2011).
While many community members voiced concerns about height, affordability, and the project’s impact on the neighborhood’s history, YCA acted as a bridge between the development team and the community. By casting a wide net of inclusion, we strengthened local voices, built trust, and guided all parties toward shared solutions. The result is a plan shaped directly by community requests—making the new neighborhood truly feel like home.
New affordable housing anchors the development. YCA worked closely with EBALDC to design and entitle a 60-unit affordable family building at the project’s main entry, negotiating complex issues such as BART’s Zone of Influence and Access Plan with Multi-Phasing. In parallel, we collaborated with city officials to craft a comprehensive set of Objective Design Standards, ensuring the project serves as a model of equitable, community-centered urban design.
Edges of the site are softened with low-scale townhomes, welcoming stoops, and shared gardens. New public open space, lushly planted over the underground BART tracks, will feature an outdoor amphitheater and playground, while a diagonal connection along the Ohlone Greenway weaves pedestrian-friendly pathways through the site.
A childcare center, neighborhood-serving shops, community space, and a bike station for BART riders further anchor the site.
Parking is tucked into a garage wrapped by housing and activated at the ground floor with retail, art, and landscaping.
PROJECT INFO
Project: North Berkeley BART Transit-Oriented Development, Berkeley, CA
Units: 750 homes // 438 parking space garage
Clients: BRIDGE Housing, AvalonBay Communities, Berkeley Food and Housing Project, EBALDC
Prime Architect: David Baker Architects
YCA Role: Co-Architect for master plan // Lead architect for EBALDC affordable housing
SERVICES
Master Planning
Architecture - Affordable Housing
Community Engagement
Site Standards