"I know we have a lot of challenges right now with vacant storefronts and blighted areas, and so I really believe that this plan can turn around this corridor," Councilmember Rashi Kesarwani said before the Berkeley City Council voted on Tuesday, Sept. 29. Her district includes the part of San Pablo Avenue north of University Avenue.
The vote was unanimous. Most of the coverage focused on height. For anyone who walks to dinner or catches a bus near San Pablo and University, though, the bigger decision was about ground floors. This intersection is one of five places on the avenue where new buildings still have to put shops at street level. The businesses already on this corner spent the summer showing what those storefronts are turning into. None of them left. Each one changed what it does at the same address.
What the vote decided for this corner
The San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan raises the height limit along the avenue from three stories to seven, for both residential and commercial buildings. It also lets developers put apartments on the ground floor instead of commercial space, but only outside five commercial "nodes." Those nodes surround San Pablo's intersections with Gilman Street, Cedar Street, University Avenue, Dwight Way and Ashby Avenue.
On a long stretch of San Pablo, that means a future building could have homes at sidewalk level. At University, the plan keeps the street-level storefront.
Most of the debate was about the height cap. Councilmember Brent Blackaby proposed lowering it to five stories and letting California's density bonus law push projects higher in exchange for affordable units. The council rejected that 7-2, with Councilmember Shoshana O'Keefe as the other vote in favor. City planning staff told the council they expect most projects under the plan to top out around eight stories, because building codes make anything taller much more expensive. The plan also lets developers count wider sidewalks or public plazas toward the open space they have to provide for residents. That's the one provision aimed directly at how the sidewalk feels.
None of this has produced a new building yet. What it does is put the city on record that this corner stays commercial at street level. That makes the current tenants worth a closer look.
Four addresses, four new formats
Walking south from University, here is what changed between June and September.
Mile Limit, 2040 San Pablo Ave. Mile Limit started as a wine shop. Sergio Monleón and Emily Sarlatte, the team behind La Marcha, turned it into a wine bar and vinyl lounge, with a soft opening on July 1. The opening menu included wines by the glass, cheeseboards, housemade tins, crudos, anchovy butter toast, and oysters with a miso-citrus mignonette from Shared Cultures. The Friday happy hour oysters were announced at $1. By late August the Mercury News listed them at $1.50, with the bar open Wednesday through Sunday and running as a Mediterranean-leaning restaurant as well as a wine bar. On Oct. 1 it hosted a Hispanic Heritage Month pop-up with oxtail birria, duck tinga tostadas, aguachile de camarón and tres leches, plus a flight of four Mexican wines for $15.
Nudi Blue, 2049 San Pablo Ave., at University. Owners Jae Rojas and Tanz Tussanaprasit, who also run Tanzie's Cafe, first planned daytime Thai tea service and evening seafood and wine. In August they closed temporarily and wrote that they were "taking some time to rethink, reshape, and begin again." According to Berkeley Eats, Nudi Blue reopened Sept. 17 as a walk-in cafe serving homemade pastries, coffee, tea and matcha, open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Berkeleyside's reopening note still mentions a la carte tea sandwiches and afternoon tea, so the tea service appears to have stayed.
The former Gallego's, 2200 San Pablo Ave. Gallego's Mexican Food had been at this spot since 2011. In July, Berkeleyside found the windows covered and a "For Sale" sign on the building. By mid-September the building had a new tenant lined up. Banh Mi Republic plans Vietnamese sandwiches and noodles, with a focus on easy takeout and family-friendly dining, and an opening expected "in the next few months."
Daruma Sushi, 2215 San Pablo Ave. Daruma opened in 2023 and was known for its okonomiyaki as well as its sushi. The original owners have moved on and passed the restaurant to what they called a "wonderful couple" who will "continue serving our community," according to Richmondside. As of Sept. 18, no reopening date or new name had been announced.
Two of these storefronts changed hands and two changed concepts, and none of the four went vacant for long. This is the turnover the zoning protects at the University node. A wine shop can grow into a bar and an afternoon tea room can become a walk-in cafe, and the sidewalk stays active either way. Farther north, near the Gilman node, Glom Thai took over the former Sistory Thai space at 1233 San Pablo in June. It serves small plates, charcoal-grilled dishes, whole fish and curries. OpenTable lists Sivilay as executive chef.
The street itself changes next, and the work includes this block
The rezoning is about buildings over many years. A separate project from the Alameda County Transportation Commission will change the street sooner. The San Pablo Avenue Safety Enhancements project runs from Oregon Street north to the county line, which takes in the University cluster.
Here's what it means for walking, biking and taking the bus near University:
- Crossings. The plan adds hybrid beacons and flashing beacons at crosswalks, median refuge islands, high-visibility crosswalk markings, and signals that give people on foot a few seconds' head start.
- Bus stops. Stops on the near side of an intersection move to the far side. Rapid Bus stops get curb extensions so buses stop in the traffic lane instead of pulling over.
- Parking at Addison. The project removes curbside parking on the short San Pablo/Addison block to make room for a protected bike connector. Addison is a block south of University. Where bus stops move, parking is shifted across the intersection when possible.
- Left turns. At four locations, closed medians will block left turns between San Pablo and the side street.
- Lanes. San Pablo keeps two travel lanes in each direction through Berkeley and Albany, and no continuous bike lane is planned north of Heinz Avenue. Bike riders are routed onto improved parallel neighborhood streets instead.
The timing is less settled than the design. Alameda CTC's April fact sheet scheduled construction bidding for summer through winter 2026 and construction from spring 2027 through winter 2028. A contractor preview in May projected a September bid advertisement. But the commission's Sept. 24 agenda had no bid or award for this project. As of today, Oct. 4, a spring 2027 start is still a plan, not a contract.
The three pieces of San Pablo work run on very different schedules:
| Project | Where | Planned construction |
|---|---|---|
| Safety Enhancements | Oregon St. north to the county line | Spring 2027 to Winter 2028 |
| Parallel Bike Improvements | Neighborhood streets alongside San Pablo | Spring 2027 to Summer 2028 |
| Bus and Bike Lanes | Downtown Oakland north to Heinz Ave. | Spring 2032 to Spring 2034 |
The project's FAQ page still says bus and bike lane construction starts in 2026. The newer fact sheet moves it to 2032, so go by the 2032 date.
For your calendar this fall
- Monday, Oct. 5. Alameda CTC's Programs and Projects Committee agenda includes an update on the Parallel Bike Improvements project, the side-street half of the San Pablo work. To ask questions or join the project email list, write to [email protected].
- Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nudi Blue's walk-in cafe hours at 2049 San Pablo.
- Wednesday through Sunday. Mile Limit's open days. Friday is happy hour oyster night.
- Later this fall. Watch 2200 San Pablo for Banh Mi Republic, and 2215 for Daruma's reopening under its new owners.
If you live near this corner and are trying to work out what the San Pablo plan or the 2027 street work could mean for a block you know well, Ryan Wang is glad to read the documents with you and walk through it step by step. Start with a conversation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
