Campus & community, Campus news

UC Berkeley statement on court decision allowing People’s Park construction to move forward

A ruling issued by the California Supreme Court on Thursday allows for UC Berkeley to proceed with plans to build housing at the park.

By Public Affairs

An aerial rendering of the future housing at People's Park — UC Berkeley plans to preserve two-thirds of the People's Park construction site as open green space for the public with a design that commemorates the land's storied history. The remaining third will become new housing for undergraduates and permanent, supportive housing for very low-income and formerly unhoused people.

June 6, 2024

UC Berkeley issued the following statement after Thursday’s California Supreme Court ruling on construction at People’s Park:

We are pleased and relieved that the Supreme Court’s decision enables the campus to resume construction at People’s Park. The housing components of the project are desperately needed by our students and unhoused people, and the entire community will benefit from the fact that more than 60% of the 2.8-acre site will be revitalized as open park space.

The campus is turning its attention to the timeline for resuming construction now that all legal challenges have been resolved by the California Supreme Court. As plans become finalized in the weeks ahead, further construction updates will be shared on the project’s website.

We are grateful for the strong and ongoing support this project has received from the majority of Berkeley students, community members, advocates for the unhoused, the city’s elected leaders, the state Legislature, and the governor. The campus is committed to addressing the high cost and low supply of housing close to campus that undermines students’ ability to thrive, succeed, and fully partake in all that the university has to offer.