BERKELEY | 2128 Oxford Street | 285 FT | 27 FLOORS

[38 Geary]

Time for this one to have its own thread.

The specs for 2128 Oxford St:
- 26 floors, 285 ft
- 456 units (72 studios, 97 2BR, 265 3BR, 22 4BR)
- 40 of the units will be affordable
- 14,900 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 36 cars and 303 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/Hu9j5nY577zg3xB66

Meeting Tomorrow For 2128 Oxford Street, Downtown Berkeley



BY: ANDREW NELSON 5:30 AM ON JULY 17, 2024

The Berkeley Design Review Committee is scheduled to review plans for one of the tallest buildings in the city’s pipeline at 2128 Oxford Street, Downtown Berkeley. The 26-story structure, called the Hub, will bring well over a thousand bedrooms across 456 units overlooking the UC Berkeley campus. Chicago-based Core Spaces is the project developer.

...

DLR Group is the project architect, working with Chicago-based Site Design Group for landscape architecture. The slab tower will rise up with articulation to break down the overall scale of the structure, visually establishing a five-story podium and the upper floors separated by distinct material choices. The tower’s most prominent perspective will be from the UC Berkeley Campus across Center Street and Oxford Way. The project team writes that the “prominent corner tower element accentuates the verticality of the building while incorporating cementitious materials that reflect that of Spanish colonial tiles found throughout the campus and within the surrounding downtown context.”

The 0.82-acre parcel occupies a corner of Oxford and Center Street on a block bound by Shattuck Avenue and Allston Way. The site overlooks the crescent driveway that serves as the western entrance to the iconic UC Berkeley Campus. Future residents will be in the city’s heart, next to the Downtown Berkeley BART Station and just a few blocks from Southside’s student-packed Telegraph Avenue thoroughfare.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/07/meeting-tomorrow-for-2128-oxford-street-downtown-berkeley.html

[38 Geary]

And the renderings:













https://sfyimby.com/2024/07/meeting-tomorrow-for-2128-oxford-street-downtown-berkeley.html

[38 Geary]

W. Other Bay Area cities take note. We need more of these.

The updated specs for 2128 Oxford St:
- 27 floors, 285 ft
- 456 units (72 studios, 97 2BR, 265 3BR, 22 4BR)
- 40 of the units will be affordable
- 14,400 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 36 cars and 304 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/Hu9j5nY577zg3xB66

Berkeley Gives Approval For Tallest Building Yet at 2128 Oxford Street

By: Andrew Nelson 5:30 am on September 23, 2024

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustment Board has given the final stamp of approval for a 27-story residential tower at 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley. The project aims to add 456 larger apartments tailored for students on the western edge of the UC Berkeley campus. Chicago-based Core Spaces is responsible for the application, with planning and CEQA consultation from the Rhoades Planning Group.

...

Writing to YIMBY, planning consultant Mark Rhoades of Rhoades Planning Group shared the following passage describing the board meeting: No one spoke in actual opposition to the project either in person or on Zoom. This is a notable outcome and reflects the significant state law protections for new housing that we have helped to put in place these last several years. This project demonstrates leadership in environmental sustainability, architectural design, and social equity with 40 BMR units and $11,000,000 Affordable Housing Trust Fund payment.

...

DLR Group is the project architect. Plans drafted by the firm show a slab tower articulated with vertical carve-outs and material variation. The most notable corner feature is a rounded edge over the intersection of Oxford Street and Center Street. The project team writes that the “prominent corner tower element accentuates the verticality of the building while incorporating cementitious materials that reflect that of Spanish colonial tiles found throughout the campus and within the surrounding downtown context.” The palette of white, terracotta red, and dark grey are evocative of the city’s color scheme.

https://sfyimby.com/2024/09/berkeley-giv...-building-yet-at-2128-oxford-street.html

[38 Geary]

Demolition Permits for 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley



By: Andrew Nelson 5:30 am on September 8, 2025

Demolition permits have been filed for the existing buildings at 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley, Alameda County. The application is related to plans for what could become the tallest building in the city if finished today, a 285-foot-tall apartment complex with 456 apartments above ground-level retail space. Chicago-based Core Spaces is responsible for the application, with planning and CEQA consultation from the Rhoades Planning Group.

The City of Berkeley approved the project in late September last year. When reached for comment, Mark Rhoades of Rhoades Planning Group shared that there is “no start timeline yet but we are putting the pieces in place.”

...

Demolition will remove the 17,900 square foot commercial structure, left mostly vacant as development stalled during a lethargic market. Most recently, the boarded-up shops have been painted over by a new mural painted by Ferran Torras. The collaborative project was organized by the Downtown Berkeley Association, covering the site with a mix of wildflowers and greenery.

https://sfyimby.com/2025/09/demolition-permits-for-2128-oxford-street-in-downtown-berkeley.html

[38 Geary]

Unfortunately, the previously-floated rooftop restaurant has been removed.

The updated specs for 2128 Oxford St:
- 26 floors, 286 ft
- 433 units (72 studios, 90 2BR, 147 3BR, 57 4BR, 42 5BR, 24 6BR, 1 7BR)
- 10,070 sq ft for retail
- Parking for 36 cars and 342 bicycles

The site:
https://goo.gl/maps/Hu9j5nY577zg3xB66

Meeting Tomorrow For 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley

By: Andrew Nelson 5:30 am on April 8, 2026

The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to review modified plans tomorrow evening for the 26-story residential tower for 2128 Oxford Street in Downtown Berkeley, Alameda County. Chicago-based Core Spaces is responsible for the application, with planning and CEQA consultation from the Rhoades Planning Group.

...

DLR Group is the project architect. The modification does not appear to have changed the exterior design. Previous renderings show a contemporary facade articulation and material variation to visually break up the massing, splitting the slab tower to resemble three narrower apartments over Oxford Street. The most notable feature will be a rounded corner at the intersection of Center Street and Oxford Street, overlooking UC Berkeley’s crescent lawn.

...

Initial entitlements were approved in the summer of 2025. Construction is expected to last around 42 months from groundbreaking to completion. The Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board is scheduled to review plans tomorrow, Thursday, April 9th, starting at 7 PM. The hybrid event will occur at the Berkeley Unified School District Board Room, with online participation on Zoom. For more information about how to attend and participate, visit the city website here.

https://sfyimby.com/2026/04/meeting-tomorrow-for-2128-oxford-street-in-downtown-berkeley.html