1049 Virginia St, Berkeley, CA 94710

West Berkeley Commercial District

The purpose of the West Berkeley Commercial (C-W) district is to: Implement the West Berkeley Plan Commercial District designation; Provide locations for commercial services which primarily serve area residents and/or businesses; Support the retention and attraction of a balance of both smaller and larger stores and restaurants; Provide appropriate locations, consistent with West Berkeley Plan policies, for commercial services which serve a citywide or broader clientele; Provide a relatively compact, clearly bounded set of commercial areas in West Berkeley, so as to both improve the quality of West Berkeley shopping environments and to prevent commercial overspill into industrial areas; Encourage the intensification of commercial activity at designated nodes to help develop more pedestrian-oriented environments at those locations; Increase the opportunities for development of housing in commercial areas to support local retailing and use of transit lines and opportunities for mixed use projects combining pedestrian-oriented neighborhood-serving uses with mixed income housing in locations abutting residential districts; Encourage appropriately intense development in underutilized portions of commercial streets; Promote development compatible with adjacent commercial, residential and industrial areas; Provide a location for cultural and performing arts activities; and Promote environmental protection for the residents and workers both within and adjacent to the district from such detriments as noise, fumes, and other detrimental environmental effects.