Berkeley Reviews Eight-Story Mixed-Use Proposal Above Amoeba Music Site

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board is reviewing an eight-story mixed-use proposal at 2455 Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley's Southside neighborhood. Property owner David Prinz, collaborating with Rhoades Planning Group, plans to construct an 85-foot-tall building directly above the Amoeba Music store site.

Designed by Studio KDA alongside 122 West Landscape Architecture, the project spans approximately 84,100 square feet. This includes 76,940 square feet of residential space and 7,160 square feet of commercial retail. Tailored toward the nearby UC Berkeley student population, the 68 residential units will consist of 15 three-bedroom, 10 four-bedroom, and 43 five-bedroom layouts. Seven units will be deed-restricted for very-low-income households.

The adaptive reuse design retains the current structure's facade and preserves the historic 1976 People’s Park Mural painted by Osha Neumann. Located at Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street, the parcel covers roughly 1.7 acres in a prominent student commercial corridor.

For multifamily developers and urban infill specialists, the project highlights how high-density student housing can navigate sensitive historic preservation requirements near major university campuses.