A large piece of land located in the center of our community at 6230 Claremont Avenue has come on the market. This former American Red Cross location, directly across Claremont Avenue from Safeway, is about one acre in size, and the site currently
includes an existing building with offices, including medical, and a surface parking lot.
The offering touts residential as the most likely use, saying, “The site benefits from being both close enough and far away from the U.C. Berkeley campus to attract a multitude of renters.” Current zoning permits “rooming units” which essentially describe dormitory housing, along with more traditional apartments.
The site certainly does seem to offer an opportunity for housing development in the heart of the community in a transit-rich location. It will be interesting to watch the progress of this sale, and the Rockridge Community Planning Council will monitor it
closely and stay abreast of input from the community.
I would note that while most traditional residential development projects don’t “pencil out” financially at the moment, a student housing project, if that is what is ultimately proposed, may have better economics because student housing tends to be more
densely occupied, providing more rental income per square foot for the developer as compared to traditional apartments. Stay tuned.
