T
he City of Berkeley and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) have reached an agreement to redevelop the Ashby BART Station into a transit-oriented housing project. The 6.5-acre parking lot at the station will be transformed into at least 1,200 homes, nonprofit group offices, and the Berkeley Flea Market. Under the deal, the city will relinquish its air rights over the west parking lot in exchange for ownership of the east parking lot.

    The agreement requires that at least 35% of the homes be affordable or below market-rate. The project must also include a permanent home for the Berkeley Flea Market and 5,000 square feet of affordable space for community groups. To finance infrastructure improvements on the west lot, the city will create an Enhanced Infrastructure District.

    The City Council must approve official contracts later this year before BART and Berkeley can start soliciting developers. The project is part of a larger effort to redevelop the Ashby BART and North Berkeley BART stations, which were rezoned in 2022 to allow for buildings up to seven stories tall and as many as 1,200 units on each site.