2100 San Pablo Avenue Project Description The proposed development project at 2100 San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, is a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (“RCFE”) consisting of a four-story, 91-unit RCFE as well as 3,209 square feet of commercial space at the ground level. The RCFE portion of the project measures 70,044 square feet and includes 58 studio suits, 24 one bedroom suites, 10 two bedroom suites, group dinning and activity rooms, admission offices, staff lounge, wellness and medication rooms, caregiver

stations, a lobby/great room, a cafeteria, as well as a large center courtyard measuring 2,817 square feet and outdoor decks on each floor measuring 4,548 square feet. The center courtyard abuts, and is level with, the R-1 residential zoning district at the westerly property line. The commercial potion of the project fronting San Pablo Avenue includes a beauty salon (318 square feet), an arts & crafts studio (671 square feet) and a geriatric wellness center (720 square feet) that caters to both residents of the RCFE and the elderly in general. In addition, a corner restaurant (1500 square feet) will serve both the RCFE residents and the general public. The project offers 33 at-grade parking spaces which are accessible from the South East portion of the building fronting the intersection of San Pablo Avenue and Cowper Street. Twenty-four parking spaces, 9 of which will be stacked parking lifts, are dedicated for employees and visitors of the RCFE and 9 parking spaces are offered for the commercial space. Elderly residents of the facility are not able to drive and will not require any parking spaces at the project. The parking area measures 7,805 square feet. State Licensed Assisted Living Facility The proposed project would be licensed as a “Residential Care Facility for the Elderly” or

“RCFE” under California Health & Safety Code Section 1569 et seq. and Title 22,

Division 6, Chapter 8 of the California Code of Regulations.1 The licensing triggers a

panoply of special requirements related to care and service requirements as well as the

1 California Code of Regulations Section 87101(c)(10) defines “Community Care

Facility” as “any facility, place or building providing nonmedical care and supervision”

and a “Residential Care Facility for the Elderly” as “a housing arrangement chosen

voluntarily by the resident, the resident's guardian, conservator or other responsible

person; where 75 percent of the residents are sixty years of age or older and where

varying levels of care and supervision are provided, as agreed to at time of admission or

as determined necessary at subsequent times of reappraisal.”

physical plant. Among other things, RCFEs must be built to special and more expensive

construction typology (steel/concrete construction at 2100 San Pablo vs. wood

construction for rental housing), are designed to standards for elderly occupants with

disabilities and reduced mobility and are inspected by the Department of Social Services

for compliance with care, safety and sanitary regulations. RCFE regulations mandate that

RCFEs provide comprehensive services including assistance with activities of daily

living, regular observation of physical, mental, emotional and social functioning;

supervision; planned social activities; food service (three meals a day including special

diets plus in between meal snacks); medication management; emergency call system in

each room for immediate response 24 hours a day and arrangement for obtaining

incidental medical and dental care.

The RCFE will be specifically designed for disabled seniors and would also serve seniors

with dementia who may need a secured perimeter, those who require end-of-life care

through hospice, and elderly who may have or develop higher acuity needs and require

more extensive care and supervision. Construction type would be concrete and steel to

accommodate non-ambulatory residents on all floors. Rooms for sleeping will not have

kitchens and all meals will be served in a common dining room. The RCFE will admit

only persons who are sixty years or older. Based on the developer’s prior experience, the

average age of residents is expected to be 86 years old. The service, care and supervision

components are inseparable from the lodging component. The admission of a new elderly

resident into the RCFE requires a physician’s report, pre-admission appraisal and

development of an individualized care and services plan for each resident. All these

documents are mandated and regulated by the California State Department of Social

Services. The RCFE is also required to re-appraise the resident and adjust the service

plan each time there is a change in a resident’s condition. Such changes must be brought

to the attention of the resident's physician and representatives.

Under Berkeley Municipal Code, the RCFE is a Community Care Facility ("CCF"),

which is defined as: "Any facility, place or building where non-medical care and

supervision of children, adolescents, adults or elderly persons is conducted under license

from the California State Department of Social Services (SDSS), but not including

medical care institutions, skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, foster homes, family

day care homes, child care facilities or transitional housing." (BMC, § 23F.04.010.) A

CCF is also identified as a "Residential Care Facility" (aka RCFE). (Ibid.)

Pedestrian-Oriented & Active Ground Floor Uses

A portion of the Project, north of Cowper Street, is within a "designated node".

Properties within designated nodes are subject to two development standards beyond

those required in the C-W District. The first is a minimum height of two stories or 25

feet for new construction. (BMC, § 23E.64.040.D.) The second is the limitation on

ground floor uses:

“The ground floor of buildings in designated nodes shall only

be used for retail sales, personal/household services, banks,

food and alcohol service, lodging, entertainment and assembly

uses, gasoline /automobile fuel stations, enclosed auto repair

uses, new car dealers, enclosed used car dealers and required

access to and lobbies serving upper-story uses. No food service

drive-through is permitted on San Pablo.” (BMC,

§ 23E.64.040.E.)

The Project proposes to replace an underutilized one-story structure with an RCFE use

and active ground floor uses consisting of the following:

Corner Restaurant: The corner restaurant will have street frontages

along San Pablo Avenue and Addison Street and will be open to the

public. It is a "food and alcohol service" permitted in the C-W

District and within the designated node. (BMC, §§ 23E.64.030,

23E.64.040.E.)

Beauty Shop/Salon: The Beauty Shop/Salon will serve residents,

employees and visitors interested in working with a barber,

beautician, hair-dresser and podiatrist trained to serve the special

needs of the elderly. This use is considered "personal/household

services" and is permitted in the C-W District and within the

designated node. (BMC, §§ 23E.64.030, 23E.64.040.E,

23F.04.010.)

Art/Craft Workshop & Gallery: This use is intended to provide

arts/crafts workshops and galleries for the residents and the general

public interested in working with the elderly. The developer has

sponsored Youth Spirit Artworks to paint the murals currently at

the property and intends to explore an intergenerational art program

where youth and seniors can engage together in this space. This use

should be characterized as an assembly use, which is permitted

within the node, and is a use compatible with the C-W District as

group class instruction and/or as an Art/Craft Studio. (BMC,

§§ 23E.64.030.C, 23E.64.040.E, 23F.04.010.) [NOTE: This use

should be considered an "Art/Craft Studio" [not listed in CW]

assembly [listed in node but not CW] group class instruction [listed

in CW but not node. 23E.64.030.C allows compatible uses with an

AUP.]

Geriatric Wellness Center: The Geriatric Wellness Center offers

residents and the elderly population in general geriatric health,

fitness and nutrition services. This use is consistent with the

"personal/household services" definition permitted in the C-W

District and within the designated node. (BMC, §§ 23E.64.030,

23E.64.040.E, 23F.04.010.)

Cafeteria/Commercial Kitchen: The Cafeteria/Commercial Kitchen

is intended primarily to prepare and serve on-site meals on a daily

basis to residents and employees. It is a "food service" permitted

for the node and an "Employee or Residential Cafeteria" permitted

in the C-W District, which is open to residents and employees

working or living in the same location, or for use by patients and

their visitors, but not the general public. (BMC, §§ 23E.64.030,

23E.64.040.E, 23F.04.010.)

Lobby/Staff/Admissions Offices: The Lobby/Staff/Admissions

Offices to the RCFE are intended to provide lounge and reception

areas, mail room, building management offices, intake and

admissions offices, and access to resident rooms on floors two

through four. Berkeley Municipal Code 23E.64.040.E specifically

allows "required access to and lobbies serving upper-story uses"

such as those proposed here. In order to activate San Pablo

Avenue, and like the apartment project at 1500 San Pablo Avenue,

offices are within the interior of the floor plan and not along any

street frontage. Moreover, these areas are ancillary 2 to the

management and operation of the RCFE.

"Back of the House Uses": These ancillary uses include garbage,

maintenance, storage and laundry rooms. Similar to the project at

1500 San Pablo Avenue, these uses will be within the interior of the

floor plan and not along any street frontage.

Job Creation It is expected that the RCFE would create close to 50 jobs, including new employment

opportunities for licensed vocational nurses, caregivers, personal attendants,

housekeeping, kitchen staff, managerial positions in marketing, health and wellness,

neighborhood outreach, and social activities. Three full-time shifts are offered daily.

The morning and evening shift will have up to 15 on-site employees and the overnight

shift will have up to 5 on-site employees.

Public Transportation

The project sponsor will seek to hire locally and encourage its employees to use public or

bi-cycle transportation. Employees will benefit from complimentary AC Transit passes

and be able to store their bi-cycles in a secure on-site location.

2 The BMC defines an "ancillary use" as a "use that is both dependent on and commonly associated with the principal permitted use of a lot and/or building and that does not result in different or greater impacts than the principal use." (BMC, § 23F.04.010.)

Volunteer Programs

The RCFE will bring to its residents local school volunteer programs and Bay Area non-

profit groups such as The Zen Hospice Project, Youth Spirit Artworks and Berkeley

Humane Society.

Inter-generational & Integrated Philosophy of Care The design and operating philosophy of the project is grounded in the belief that the growing frail elderly population add to the rich and diverse urban fabric of West Berkeley, offering their wisdom and life experiences to the community, particularly the younger generations. As such, the design of the project pushes services and amenities to the front of the building with open and transparent floor to ceiling glass storefront doors and windows, encouraging the elderly to remain visible and engaged neighborhood participants. For example, the Arts & Crafts Studio will hold painting and pottery classes for the elderly residents, youth organizations and local schools, bringing together in one visible space two diverse and vital segments of our population, with potential of each enriching the life of the other. Open receptions will be held where neighbors will get the chance to view and purchase youth and elderly art and engage with the artists.