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It takes a village
UC Berkeley planners, Albany community zero in on housing, shops, and neighborhood facilities at University Village
By Janet Huseby
Like puzzle masters, UC Berkeley planners have been fitting pieces together to complete the revitalization of University Village, a project that began several years ago. With planners envisioning possibilities, listening to ideas, and consulting with the city of Albany, an exciting picture is emerging from the complex puzzle - more housing for graduate students; a lively stretch of shops on San Pablo Avenue; a new, centrally located community center; two free-flowing, healthy creeks; and a crackerjack fiIn late October, proposals for developing the eastern section of the village will be submitted to the university and available for public review. The search for developers to design and build the mixed-use project began in January. By July, the campus selected three teams to put together the proposals that will be ready in October, aimed at adding much needed graduate student housing and enhancing the surrounding community.
"From the beginning, the challenge has been to create a vibrant neighborhood and meet all of the various needs of the residents and the community," said Tom Lollini, UC Berkeley Assistant Vice Chancellor for Capital Projects. "It
is complex but exciting, and I think we will end up with a very attractive
and student-friendly environment that fits in with the character of the
city of Albany."
For several years the university has faced the challenge of refurbishing the graduate student housing in Albany within the constraints of high development costs and the need to maintain affordable rents. A master plan for the village was approved by the UC Regents in 1998, calling for a phased approach. Four years ago, a large section of the original barrack-like units built during World War II was removed to make way for the first step of the master plan, a set of 392 new townhouses with amenities speciStep 3 is the development of the 26-acre eastern portion of the village, now including land used for agricultural research by UC Berkeley's College of Natural Resources, the remaining war-vintage housing, community buildings, and Victory Field, home of the Albany Little League since 1957. In addition to housing for faculty and graduate students, proposed improvements to the area include new community facilities - a center with child care and recreation and playing fields. The tall grove of pine and palm trees in the northeast corner of the property would remain, as would the existing community garden space on the western edge of the family housing area.
To help finance
the project, UC Berkeley plans to develop good-quality
retail space along San Pablo Avenue, in partnership with the private
sector.
Prominent in the plan is the restoration of Village and Codornices Creeks, which run through the village. Portions of Village Creek were previously restored, and additional improvements to both creeks will provide better flood control and restore the ecology of this important natural resource.
UC Berkeley planners have grappled to balance various needs and interests: the campus's need for affordable student housing, plus goals UC shares with the city of Albany - adding an income-producing development, restoring creeks, and providing community facilities and playing fields.
"I'm personally very pleased with the town and gown relationships on this project," said Albany's Mayor Peggy Thomsen. "The
Chancellor and the university staff are amenable
and working with the city staff to make it a good project
for everyone. Of course we want
retail development that is viable and vibrant and
a real asset to the community, but they are hearing our
concerns. And moving the little
league fields and community center (to the agricultural
tract) is a wonderful solution."
Once the best proposal for the development is selected, an environmental impact report will be prepared next year; after that the final decision on the development will be presented to the UC Regents for approval. Construction would start no sooner than early 2004.
As the puzzle pieces fall into place, the day seems not far off when students and community members will shop at the village edge, children will play on the new fields or bicycle past the restored creeks, and programs for children and adults will be housed in a bright, new community center at University Village.
For more information on the University Village project in Albany, call Jeff Bond, UC Berkeley Capital Projects, (510) 643-6869, or check online at www.cp.berkeley.edu/Projects_Info_Notices.htm
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How the village grew
The story of the
University Village in Albany starts in 1818 when José Domingo
Peralta and his brother paused for a meal near a stream they named
Codornices - Quail Creek - in honor of the nest of quail eggs they
found and ate along its banks. In time, the hill that loomed above
them would be named Albany Hill, and the land between the hill and
the bay would be employed in the manufacture of gun powder. At least
79 men were killed in a series of enormous explosions from 1880 to
1905, when a final terrifying blast and ensuing public outcry forced
the closure of the last of the powder plants.
Meanwhile, near the creek, horticulturist Edward Gill, was quietly cultivating
prize roses. His 104 acres would come to be known as the Gill Tract when
they were purchased from his descendents by the University of California
in 1928.
University plans for the land were put on hold in 1943 when it, along with
adjoining lots in the city of Berkeley, was commandeered by the U.S. government
for the construction of temporary war housing for workers at the booming
Richmond and
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New
University Village townhouses recently completed
as part of the revitalization project.
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Mare Island shipyards.
The newly named Codornices Village eventually housed between 8,000 and
10,000 people, including 500 Navy families. The 3,000 units were built
at the astonishing rate of 28 per week.
From
the first the village was a trendsetter. In the midst
of the frantic construction the government opened an
innovative day-care center for children of working
mothers. The center was open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
and the $3 weekly fee included a hot breakfast and
lunch. A few months later a village community center
opened, featuring a gymnasium, ping pong tables, board
games, and craft classes. There was space for a day
nursery, library, and public health office. The crowded
wartime village was also among the first government
housing to be racially integrated.
The temporary housing was expected to be torn down at the end of the war. And
in fact, the southern end of the village - located on private parcels in Berkeley
- was completely demolished by 1955. In 1956, the university regained control
of the Gill Tract and the remaining buildings. They became the core of the
77-acre University Village at Albany, home to over 1,000 American and international
UC Berkeley graduate students and their families. But by the 1990s much of
the community infrastructure, while bustling and be-loved, was aging and dilapidated.
For more information on the history of Albany Village, see "A Selective
History of the Codornices-University Village, The City of Albany & Environs," by
Warren and Catherine Lee (Belvidere Deleware Railroad Company Enterprises,
Ltd., 2000). Some copies are available at the University Village Community
Center.
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