Ashby and North Berkeley BART Station Planning
Share your vision for the future of housing, open space, and community amenities at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations.
Planning is underway to re-imagine the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations as vibrant places that include housing, open space, and community amenities.
NEWS & UPDATES
Ashby East Lot Request for Proposals
The City of Berkeley is seeking proposals from qualified development teams to partner with the City on transit-oriented housing at the Ashby BART Station East Lot. The selected team will work with the City and community to establish a feasible mixed-use, mixed-income development program for the approximately 1.9-acre site.
Notice of Funding Availability
Eligible respondents can concurrently apply for up to $1,000,000 in predevelopment funding available from the City through its Housing Trust Fund. Please see the RFP Section 4.1.1 for more details.
Interested development teams can review the full RFP, related attachments, and submission requirements.
Proposals and registration are due by 4:00 PM PDT on July 7, 2026, and must be submitted via email to: housingdevelopment@berkeleyca.gov
Please include the following subject line: “Ashby East Lot TOD RFP Registration – [Applicant Name]”
Questions and clarifications can be sent to housingdevelopment@berkeleyca.gov and must be sent by end of business on June 15, 2026.
Project Background
Spurred by the passage of Assembly Bill 2923 (AB 2923) in 2018, the City and BART have been collaborating to facilitate transit-oriented development at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites.
Key milestones to advance transit-oriented development at the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites are listed below.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| September 2018 | Governor Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 2923. This state legislation affects zoning requirements on existing BART-owned property within 1/2 mile of stations in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco Counties. |
| March 2020 | Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between City and BART. This established a framework for the development of the Ashby and North Berkeley BART stations, including a community advisory process and other community engagement; milestones and a timeline to develop zoning that complies with AB 2923; solicitation of developer(s); and further studies/planning for the two station areas. |
| June 2020 - December 2021 | Community Advisory Group Meetings. BART and the City worked closely with a Council-appointed Community Advisory Group (CAG), meeting eight times to create the foundation for development at both the Ashby BART and North Berkeley stations and address issues of affordable housing, land use, station access, building form, and new public spaces that would benefit the current and future residents as well as BART riders. |
| April 2021 | Affordable Housing Funding. Reservation by City Council of $53 million of City affordable housing funding for the Ashby and North Berkeley BART sites. |
| June 2022 | Joint Vision and Priorities (JVP) Document. The Berkeley City Council and the BART Board approved the JVP, which expresses the City and BART's shared, high-level expectations for the future development of both stations. |
| June 2022 | R-BMU Zoning. In accordance with AB 2923, the Berkeley City Council adopted a new Chapter 23.202.150 in the Zoning Ordinance adding a "Residential - BART Mixed Use (R-BMU)" zoning district to govern development at the North Berkeley and Ashby BART stations. |
| June 2022 | Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between City and BART. This agreement is to cooperatively pursue transit-oriented development (TOD) at the North Berkeley and Ashby BART stations. It is made in furtherance of the MOU, signed in 2020, and JVP, signed in 2022. The MOA primarily addresses the North Berkeley BART Project. |
| November 2022 | Ashby BART - Adeline Street Right-of-Way Design. The City Council approved a preferred design concept to redesign the Adeline Street Right-of-Way at Ashby BART; provided information about the City's policies for managing parking around BART stations. |
| December 2022 | North Berkeley BART Station Developer Team. BART Board of Directors approved the selected developer team: North Berkeley Housing Partners (NBHP), is composed of three affordable housing nonprofits - BRIDGE Housing, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation, and Insight Housing - as well as a developer of market-rate homes, AvalonBay Communities. |
| December 2023 | North Berkeley BART Objective Design Standards (ODS). The Berkeley City Council adopted the North Berkeley BART Station Area Objective Design Standards. Objective Design Standard-focused events and related materials can be found under Past Events below. |
| February 2024 | North Berkeley BART Project Submittal. North Berkeley Housing Partners submitted a housing project application for streamlined entitlement pursuant to AB 2011. |
| September 2024 | City Council Adoption of Nonbinding Term Sheet. City Council adoption of nonbinding Term Sheet for Ashby BART Transit Oriented Development on September 16, 2024 (Resolution No. 71,514-N.S.) and executed by the City and BART on September 21, 2024 |
| December 2024 | City Council Adoption of Ordinance 7,939-N.S. City Council adoption of Ordinance 7,939-N.S. - Authorizing Exchange of Real Property For Development of Ashby BART Station Property |
Past Events
- Ashby BART West Lot Preliminary Objective Design Standards Open House
-
Ashby BART Community Open House (in person, Ed Roberts Campus)
There are no documents associated with this event
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North Berkeley BART Community Meeting and Open House
- North Berkeley BART Open House
- N. Berkeley BART - Objective Design Standards (ODS) Community Meeting #2 (Zoom)
- N. Berkeley BART - Objective Design Standards (ODS) Community Meeting #2 In-Person
- Objective Design Standards (ODS) Community Meeting
- Planning Commission November 2021
- Planning Commission September 2021
- BART Planning Community Workshop #3
- BART Planning Community Workshop #2
- BART Planning Community Workshop #1
