For Immediate Release
Landmark Sustainable Development Breaks Ground in Berkeley
The David Brower Center and Oxford Plaza Merge Environmental Headquarters, Cultural Venues, and Affordable Housing
May 14, 2007 – Berkeley, CA – After seven years in planning, The David Brower Center and Resources for Community Development have begun construction on a landmark green development in downtown Berkeley.
The groundbreaking ceremony on May 23 will bring together residents and supporters including Mayor Tom Bates, City Councilmember Linda Maio, and Urban Habitat founder Carl Anthony.
When complete, the multi-use complex – built within walking distance of public transportation – will be a model of environmentally and socially sustainable planning. Integral to Berkeley’s downtown renaissance, it will include affordable homes and retail space at Oxford Plaza, as well as the ultra-green Brower Center, a cultural and educational hub for nonprofit organizations and the general public.
The two partners in the project, The David Brower Center and Resources for Community Development, were brought together by a shared interest in creating a healthy, just, and environmentally responsible society.
A home for the environmental movement
Among the first buildings in the Bay Area to receive the highest LEED green building rating, the Brower Center will include 50,000 square feet of healthy and affordable office space leased primarily to nonprofit organizations, as well as the Richard and Rhoda Goldman Theater, meeting spaces, an art gallery, and an organic restaurant – all within a visually stunning structure.
With move-in scheduled for January 2009, the Brower Center has a waiting list of more than 30 organizations, including the California League of Conservation Voters, International Rivers Network and Build It Green. The Center for Ecoliteracy and Earth Island Institute are among the Center’s anchor tenants.
“The building of the Brower Center represents a further coming of age of a worldwide movement,” said Paul Hawken, renowned environmentalist and author. “David was a monument, and hardly needs one. But what he did want was the deepening and strengthening of the institutions that lead the way towards conservation, preservation and restoration."
David Brower, a pioneer in the environmental movement, was the Sierra Club’s first executive director and founded the League of Conservation Voters, Friends of the Earth, and Earth Island Institute.
According to Berkeley Mayor Tom Bates, “The long legacy of environmental advocacy from Berkeley residents makes this city a natural home for this country’s environmental leadership. The David Brower Center will provide an international center for environmental research, advocacy, and innovation. I can think of no more appropriate place in the world for this work to take place."
Affordable downtown homes for Berkeley
Oxford Plaza will meet a pressing need for affordable housing in Berkeley by creating 97 units of permanently affordable, high-quality rental homes with on-site services for residents. Its central location, close to BART and buses, jobs and amenities, helps solve the transportation challenges many low-income workers face.
“Oxford Plaza will be a downtown Berkeley jewel, with an open-air courtyard and a roof deck with Bay views and a children’s play area,” said Dan Sawislak, RCD's executive director. “A computer center, laundry facilities, and a large community room for classes and social functions will help residents enjoy their new homes and create more successful futures.”
On-site staff will provide job search assistance and financial literacy courses and will refer residents to nearby services such as child care, parenting classes, and legal and medical services. Children can participate in environmental justice and ecological projects through RCD's partnership with the University of California, and residents will also be able to take advantage of the Brower Center’s diverse public programs.
The new homes – from studios to 3-bedroom units – will be affordable to those usually priced out of Bay Area housing, from individuals bringing in less than $12,000 yearly to families of four earning up to $50,280 annually. The apartments will be adaptable to accommodate tenants' varying physical needs.
About The David Brower Center
The David Brower Center is a facility designed to inspire and nurture current generations of activists and social entrepreneurs – and to build a foundation for future generations. From informal meals in the restaurant, to meetings in the courtyard and conference rooms, to public programs in the theater, the Brower Center seeks to bring people together while educating, improving, and inspiring its local and global communities. Inside this LEED-Platinum-certified building, the Center’s nonprofit and socially responsible office tenants will also benefit from collocation, a healthy working environment, and opportunities to collaborate and share resources.
About Resources for Community Development
Resources for Community Development (RCD) is a non-profit affordable housing development corporation dedicated to creating and preserving affordable housing for people with the fewest options in Northern California. Founded by Berkeley community members in 1984, RCD currently has a portfolio of over 1,300 affordable housing units that it has developed or owns in the cities of Alameda, Albany, Antioch, Bay Point, Berkeley, Castro Valley, Concord, Emeryville, Fairfield, Hayward, Oakland, and Pacheco. RCD’s developments serve very low and low-income households and special needs groups. When Oxford Plaza is complete, RCD will serve 524 low- and very low-income households throughout the City of Berkeley and will have developed more than one-fifth of all below-market-rate housing in Berkeley.
