Albany Village Graduate Student Apartments

Status

Project Phase:
Construction

Anticipated Completion:
Fall semester 2024

Details

Architect:
Ayers Saint Gross

Design Architect:
Kevin Daly Architects

General Contractor:
James E. Roberts-Obayashi Corporation

Development Partner:
American Campus Communities

Project Location:
Jackson St. and Monroe St., Albany, CA (map)

Project Inquiries:
capitalstrategies@berkeley.edu
(510) 495-5786

Visit our Environmental Review page to access applicable California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) notices and documents for UC Berkeley capital projects.

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Albany Village Graduate Student Apartments: Project Images
Image credit: Mark Holtzman Photography / American Campus Communities

Construction Updates:

August 25, 2023

Here is a summary of the current and upcoming construction activities at the Albany Village project site:

Exterior work

  • Exterior finishes, including exterior sheathing, flashing, and glazing are ongoing.
  • Exterior waterproofing and lath activities are currently mobilizing.

Utility Work

  • Water utility work is ongoing along Monroe St., and a shutdown is scheduled for 8/26.
  • Another water shutdown for the connection of the new fire hydrants to the water main on Jackson St. will occur in late September or early October. This shutdown is pending coordination with RSSP. This shutdown will impact University Village.
  • There will be a gas shutdown in October or November, which will also impact University Village. This shutdown is to reroute the natural gas line to avoid storm drain routing on Jackson St. This shutdown is pending coordination with RSSP. Plenty of advance notification will occur before this work starts.
  • Stormwater and electrical utility work is ongoing in the parking area.

Interior Work

  • Drywall is currently being installed in the common areas and inside the units.
  • Mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire sprinkler work is ongoing in the building.
  • Finishes will begin to be installed inside the units in October.

Site Work

  • The parking area will be paved as early as September.
  • Site concrete and street paving are anticipated to begin in Feburary or March 2024. This work will impact AC Transit routing and University Village. Plenty of advance notification will occur before this work starts.

Please note that the construction schedule is subject to change and may be influenced by various factors.

Albany Village Graduate Student Apartments will be adjacent to UC Berkeley's existing University Village family housing community in Albany, California. The project will provide 761 single-occupancy bedrooms in apartment-style units for single UC Berkeley graduate students without children. Albany Village will triple the existing supply of university-owned housing for single graduate students.

Fully-furnished apartments will feature large windows that allow abundant natural light into bedrooms and living spaces. Each apartment will include a full kitchen with major appliances, as well as an in-unit washer and dryer.

Beyond their apartments, students will discover spaces for social interaction and well-being, including lounges and meeting rooms. A series of outdoor courtyards will provide more than 55,000 square feet of space for passive, social and active uses. Students can lounge and explore gardens with native plants and lush trees, host barbeque gatherings, and take advantage of recreational spaces on new multi-use lawns and terraces.

The apartments will be well-served by public transportation. A new transit plaza will be added along Monroe Street, directly in front of the apartments. There, students will be able to easily catch a direct ride to campus on AC Transit.

This project will realize the third phase of the 2004 University Village Master Plan, which called for developing student housing on this 3.8-acre site of university-owned land. Previously implemented phases of the master plan redeveloped the existing University Village family housing, built a new senior living facility, and constructed community-serving retail buildings, including a Sprouts grocery store, along San Pablo Avenue.

The site for the Albany Village Graduate Student Apartments is currently overflow parking for University Village and contains small structures used for storage by campus units. A small community recreation building on the site will be removed as part of this project.

Construction of the apartments will not alter the borders of the Gill Tract Community Farm or the Rausser College of Natural Resources' growing fields, which are to the north, on the opposite side of Village Creek.

Construction began in September 2022. The apartments are anticipated to open for the fall semester 2024.

Additional Information:

Open House - March 3, 2021