BERKELEY — The city has been awarded nearly $42 million in state grants for two affordable housing projects that will total 150 apartments.
“Affordable housing is scarce, so too are the resources necessary to bring new units online amidst a global pandemic,” Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin said in a release. “Our housing crisis has implications for affordability, transportation, homelessness and more, and that means this significant investment will have benefits for the entire community.”
The money for the projects comes from the state’s “Strategic Growth Council’s Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Program,” which aims to have people work near where they live and be able to bike, walk or use public transit to visit places nearby for recreation.
The state is providing $22,781,553 to the Maudelle Miller Shirek Community Project, a transit-orientated development at 2001 Ashby Ave. that will have apartments set aside for people who were once homeless.
The second project, known as Connected Berkeley, was awarded $19,072,792. That project consists of 63 units. The city announced the grants Wednesday.
The projects were made possible through Measure O, a $135 million bond for affordable housing that Berkeley voters approved in 2018. Since the measure’s approval, $36 million has been allocated for four developments, including those known as Maudelle Miller Shirek Community and Connected Berkeley.
