BERKELEY — As Bay Area cities grapple with the need to add more housing in their urban cores through changes in zoning rules, a plan to allow buildings in Berkeley to soar higher in three business corridors has sparked a movement among shop owners and residents who worry they’ll be pushed out.
Still in the drafting stage, Berkeley’s Corridor Zoning Update proposes raising the number of homes allowed to be built on sections of Solano, College and North Shattuck avenues. A core principle of the project is equity, Mayor Adena Ishii said.
By allowing building heights of 4 to 9 stories along those corridors, wealthier parts of the city would take on their share of housing growth after decades of changes being thrust upon the historically underserved areas of South and West Berkeley…