Direct Action to stop Whole Foods and UC Berkeley: Protect the Gill Tract

Hi folks,

My wife and I are University Village Residents and there is another wrinkle to this Whole Foods deal you might not be aware of. Until recently (~2.5 years ago) the land where Whole foods is to be built was not open, but was in fact affordable student housing for Berkeley students with families. There were old barracks from the 1950's, true, but families were able to rent two bedroom apartments for under $900. The university tore down these buildings, along with a number of other sets of old barracks throughout the University Village and replaced them with newer, nicer units. Unfortunately, these newer units started at $1295 for a 2 bedroom unit, and the university has already raised that rent to $1498 for a 2 bedroom, with the new one bedroom units now priced at the $1295 the 2 bedroom were at only two years ago.

This presents a HUGE problem for students with families that are tying to get their degrees and it disproportionately effects minority and low income students (there are many low income, single parents with multiple children who live in the village and are tying to make it through). As a village resident, I would prefer they turn the area into a garden as well, however, if a Whole Foods is to be built, it would be nice if the University would use the profits to subsidize the housing it has recently made unaffordable for minority and low income students. We have seen no evidence thus far that the profits from the deal will be used to help village residents in any way, marking a departure from UC's mission as the "people's University." If there is going to be development, please help ensure that it at least serves those the University is supposed to serve as it's primary mission; all of those who qualify for admission, regardless of their financial means to attend.

Thanks!

Please be aware that the University has been brokering a deal with the Village Residents Association to use money from this proposed development as a subsidy to provide more affordable housing.
From what I have heard, this has gone over real well with the current VRA.
In 2003, Village Residents sued the University over the affordable housing issue. Those students stood with us on the question of appropriate development and conservation of the Gill Tract.
We have raised the question of the rationale of building a Whole Foods there, as it is a costly grocery store. If students cannot afford to shop there, and will have to shop somewhere else, this is a huge problem. We have imagined that a Whole Foods will attract those primarily from the Berkeley Hills and wealthier parts of the area. The EIR traffic studies do not adequately examine this. Is it assumed that shoppers from the Berkeley Hills will use transit to access the store? This is ridiculous!
What is highlighted is that this is a mixed use development on a transit line. The irony is that this could exponentialize the traffic of students leaving and shoppers coming in. The Village used to be a safe place for children and rather peaceful. I hope students will realize that with the amount of traffic this development will receive, that the Village will not ever be the place it once was.
Hopefully there will be students who will stand united with us here. You will get affordable housing with or without the development. It rests that the affordable housing with the development will cost you; and Village residents into the future with your peace of mind, clean air, and those safe spaces for your children to play.