The St. Paul African Methodist Episcopal, or AME, Church of Berkeley officially started construction on St. Paul Terrace — a 50-unit affordable housing project set to be located on the property of the church — on July 30.

The seven-story project, located in South Berkeley on Ashby Avenue, is being developed by St. Paul AME Church in partnership with Community Housing Development Corporation, or CHDC, a nonprofit affordable housing developer based in Richmond. The project’s budget is about $69 million.

According to a recent Berkeleyside article, the project will provide housing for low-income people and families earning “no more than 60% of Berkeley’s area median income, which stands at just over $100,000 for an individual.” With the development’s completion projected for the spring of 2028, St. Paul AME Church and CHDC have not yet released application information for the new housing units. These units range from studios to three-bedroom apartments, among others, with 13 units reserved for seniors currently experiencing or at risk of houselessness.

“The shelter that the church gave us, socially, mentally, spiritually, intellectually, economically, is now becoming physical,” said District 3 Councilmember Ben Bartlett. St. Paul AME Church lies within his district.

The project is funded in part through Measure O, Berkeley’s affordable housing bond. Berkeley voters approved the funding source in November 2018; it provides $135 million in bond funding for affordable housing for low and middle-income households. St. Paul Terrace is receiving $12 million from the measure.

St. Paul Terrace is one of the three Measure O-funded projects currently in progress in Berkeley, along with two housing projects in West Berkeley. In total, there are expected to be 214 housing units available by the time these projects are completed.

The St. Paul Terrace project occurs alongside the city of Berkeley’s Adeline Corridor Specific Plan, which was adopted December 2020. The plan covers the area along Adeline Street from Ashby Avenue south to the Berkeley-Oakland border.

The Adeline Corridor Specific Plan focuses on five main goals: land use and community character, housing affordability, economic opportunity, transportation and public space. St. Paul Terrace will contribute to the plan’s goal of housing affordability by adding 50 affordable housing units to the neighborhood as the city continues working to increase the amount of homes in the area.

St. Paul AME Church is one of the several Berkeley churches that have explored using their land for affordable housing. A 2022 Berkeleyside article reported on efforts by Black churches in the city to develop housing on their properties.

As construction moves forward, St. Paul Terrace will bring new affordable homes to South Berkeley and add another chapter to the Adeline Corridor’s ongoing development.

This article was authored by Vi Nguyen and Henry Huffaker, participants of The Daily Californian’s High School Journalism Intensive.