An allocation of $53 million to help ensure that development being planned at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations includes 35 percent affordable housing was unanimously approved Tuesday night by the Berkeley City Council.
"If passed, this would represent the city's single largest investment in affordable housing in history," Mayor Jesse Arreguin said on Twitter before the vote.
BART board Director Rebecca Saltzman, who spoke in favor of the allocation during the council meeting, responded on social media by thanking Arreguin "for your leadership in ensuring the Berkeley BART TOD (transit-oriented development) projects will be transformative and provide hundreds of affordable units steps from BART.
She added, "This is the leadership we need throughout the Bay Area and especially near transit to solve our housing crisis."
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The allocation includes $40 million from city Measure O bond funds and "at least $13 million in future Affordable Housing Mitigation Fees, and/or a new source of revenue to be identified no later than 2024," according to the agenda item.
