Our organization, Friends of Adeline (FOA), is a community advocacy group formed in 2015 after local residents attended a City meeting during which officials proclaimed their goal to fix up the neighborhood and make South Berkeley a colony. Shocked at this thought, a group of residents, who love the community, a home for Black, Brown and Asian people, as well as Caucasians, came together. FOA is fighting for all of South Berkeley, a historically mixed race and originally redlined neighborhood, and advocates for its small businesses and nonprofits.
Part 1: It’s time to make some noise!
This is the first in a series of articles that was originally published by the Berkeley Times. It’s about BART’s relationship with South Berkeley. Our community’s relationship with BART started 60 years ago, when Mable Howard led a victorious fight to underground the BART tracks through Berkeley. For the last 10 years, we have been fighting for South Berkeley to be heard.
Today, we demand that BART and the City keep South Berkeley an inclusive, special place. Currently, developers have submitted proposals to BART and the City for this project. These plans include a mix of affordable and market rate homes in buildings up to 12 stories or more on both sides of Adeline Street.
Which developer is best suited to deliver the highest percentage (100%) of truly affordable housing, enables the right to return, and understands our unique community? Which developer will make the strongest effort? A developer who best meets these requirements must be chosen. Affordable housing needs to be of equal quality in visual design and construction as the market rate…