Debris are collected in a pile at People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Jan. 4, 2024. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
UC Berkeley took over People’s Park early Thursday, with police and work crews clearing all people out the famous and controversial site and stacking shipping containers around the perimeter.
Protesters against the university’s plans to develop the park with student housing were met by police, and seven people were arrested before being released, the university said. This all mostly happened before sunrise and at a time when UC Berkeley students are on winter break.
The University of California, Berkeley has attempted to secure People’s Park a few other times since 2018, when the plan to repurpose the site for housing for students and unhoused people was first announced. Protesters who view the land as community space and a symbol of the Free Speech Movement halted the university’s efforts and tore down fencing.
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Protester Atma Das (right) presses his body on a police barricade as a line of CHP officers stand behind a barricade to keep protesters away from People’s Park at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Dwight Way in Berkeley, Calif., on Jan. 4, 2024. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
On Thursday, the university used a much heftier barrier — shipping containers stacked two tall — to stop protesters; they seem to have finally succeeded in taking over the land, though dozens of protesters spoke out again about the project later Thursday morning. What does the university have planned for the site in coming days and years?
How long will roads around People’s Park be closed to traffic?
Roads surrounding People’s Park are closed, including sections of the four streets bordering the park — Haste Street, Dwight Way, Bowditch Street and Telegraph Avenue. The closures blocked access to the park and caused traffic during the Thursday morning commute. For the next few days, “surrounding streets will be closed to traffic while crews install a secure perimeter consisting of double-stacked shipping containers,” UC Berkeley said in its statement on social media Thursday.
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“We’re going to try to get it done earlier, but most likely it’ll take three to four days,” university spokesperson Dan Mogulof told SFGATE. “We need to get all the containers in place. That’s going to happen pretty soon. We need to button up the gaps and install a gate. There’s a lot of work.”
Why is construction tied up in court?
Construction “of the project’s two urgently needed housing facilities — one for students, the other for unhoused and very low income people — will not resume until legal issues are fully resolved by the California Supreme Court,” the university said in its statement.
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The legal issues bubbled up when UC Berkeley Chancellor Carol Christ first announced plans to develop the park with student housing in 2018. Neighbors challenged the plan with a lawsuit, arguing that student parties would create noise, the LA Times reported. A California appeals court blocked the project, ruling in February 2023 that the university had failed to assess noise impacts as required by the California Environmental Quality Act.
Scene from People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif., Jan. 4, 2024. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE Scene from People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif., Jan. 4, 2024. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
Hope was renewed for the project in September 2023 when Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill making it easier for state universities to pursue construction projects despite lawsuits.
The case is ready to be set for oral argument before the California Supreme Court, Mogulof wrote in an email. “The court decides when to set the oral argument, but has not done so yet,” he said. “The court issues its ruling within 90 days after oral argument. The ruling becomes final 30 days after it is issued.”
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While awaiting a decision, “the courts have repeatedly affirmed the university’s ability to enforce the site’s legal status as a closed construction zone,” the university said.
When is the earliest construction can start?
The university can start construction if and when “the court issues a final ruling that the environmental review of the project was adequate,” Mogulof wrote. He told SFGATE over the phone Thursday morning, “We anticipate a positive ruling.”
A scoop tractor works on leveling ground at People’s Park in Berkeley, Calif., on Jan. 4, 2024. Douglas Zimmerman/SFGATE
He added, “If oral arguments were set this month, then construction could start four or five months from now.”
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What’s the university’s plan for the site?
The main purpose of the People’s Park project is to increase housing for UC Berkeley students. The plan includes a dorm with 1,100 beds for undergraduate students that would be available at below-market rates, according to the university. The complex would also include about 100 apartments offering supportive housing, with on-site services for unhoused and low-income residents, as well as open landscaped areas.
A mock-up of the proposed UC Berkeley housing project for People’s Park. LMS Architects/Hood Design Studio; screenshot via Berkeley.edu
Under the plan, “more than 60% of the 2.8-acre site will be preserved as open space and revitalized into a renewed park space that reinforces the site’s history,” the university said. The site will also include a feature that honors the park’s history.
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Once construction starts, how long will it take to complete the project?
Two to three years, according to Mogulof.
What’s the cost of the project?
The original budget for the project was $312 million, but Mogulof said the price tag has increased due to delays. “It will be significantly higher from that original figure due to delays and inflation,” he said.
Source: www.sfgate.com
