The Ashby BART parking lot, which was built on top of a predominantly Black Berkeley neighborhood, will be returning to residences as a part of BART’s Transit-Oriented Development program.

The current development plans include 600 new units, approximately half of which will be permanently affordable housing, and will also include ground-floor retail and nonprofit or community-serving space, according to BART’s Director of Transit Oriented Development Kasheica McKinney.

BART’s Transit-Oriented Development program is focused on transforming underutilized BART-owned parking lots into housing and community-serving projects. They hope to have 20,000 homes, 7,000 of which will be affordable housing, built on BART-owned property by 2040.

When the Ashby BART station was built in the 1960s, the residences and businesses in the predominantly Black neighborhood were demolished to make room for the development.

“BART recognizes the neighborhood’s history,” McKinney said in an email. “That history has informed years of planning and community engagement between BART, the City of Berkeley, and community stakeholders.”

McKinney said, since 2020, BART and the city of Berkeley have been establishing a city-led community advisory process to develop community-centered goals for the Ashby Bart parking lot project, and that this process has influenced the priorities of the project, including affordable housing, community spaces and supporting local businesses.

Margot Ernst, city deputy director of health, housing and community services, said the city’s Housing Preference Policy establishes first housing priority for households — or their descendants — displaced from Berkeley by the construction of the BART station.

McKinney also said there are current plans for building replacement parking within the development, as well as improving access to the station via walking, biking and transit.

The project is being developed by Adeline Alliance Partners — a joint venture between three different developers, The Pacific Companies, Strategic Urban Development Alliance and Relequity Enterprises.

Relequity Enterprises founder Justin Smith is a longtime participant in the South Berkeley community, and his family is a longtime vendor at the Berkeley Flea Market, which currently uses the Ashby station parking lot on weekends.

Smith said when he heard about BART wanting to develop the parking lot, he became interested in the project. He said he spent time talking with a number of local organizations and community groups to understand what the priorities and concerns of the community were.

Noting the history of the Black neighborhood which the BART station was built over, Smith has been putting together a team that knows the roots and history of the area.

“This is our neighborhood … this is an opportunity, you know, one to rebuild our community, to bring back life to this station,” Smith said. “I set up on this journey to really put together a team that could represent the historical interests of this community.”

Through a number of community events, Smith’s team has been taking in more community input on the development.

Smith said through ongoing community feedback, they noticed multiple themes in the priorities that community members brought up. These included a want for affordable housing, community input, lower-rise structures, public green space and community events, like the flea market.

He said the development looks to be reflective of the community’s priorities.

“We want to put all the things in place that really creates a positive and thriving South Berkeley neighborhood,” Smith said. “When South Berkeley thrives, Berkeley thrives.”