DURANT
TOWER
From ADU to 20-Storey Tower
YCA served as a creative and strategic development collaborator on Durant Tower, a transformative 20‑story tower at 2425 Durant Avenue that reimagines a modest site into a high-value, high-density community. By navigating the recent Southside zoning upzone and leveraging California’s Density Bonus Law (specifically SB 330 and AB 1287), we elevated the project’s potential from a backyard ADU to a beacon of student housing excellence.
The tower will deliver 169 residential units including 26 affordable ones, with 19 designated as replacement below-market-rate housing—far exceeding early projections of 117 units. Inside, amenity-rich design brings community and comfort to every level: a furnished lobby with mini‑bar and café seating, bike parking, and floor‑level amenity spaces on the 8th, 13th, 17th, and 20th floors. A rooftop deck offers sweeping views toward downtown Oakland and San Francisco
Units: 24 units
Client: Collabhome.io
Architect: Yes Community Architects
Modular Fabricator: Plant Prefab
Perched on a 0.22-acre parcel just one block from UC Berkeley’s southern entrance, the tower stands as one of the tallest proposals in Southside. It’s a strategic example of how policy shifts enable densification in transit-rich, historically single-family zoned neighborhoods.