Downtown Berkeley’s race to the clouds just picked up a new contender. Modified permit filings would bump the Landmark Properties tower planned at 2190 Shattuck Avenue from 25 floors to 34, a jump that could make the project the tallest residential building in the city if it is approved and built. The proposed extra height would rise just steps from BART and the UC Berkeley campus, adding fresh drama to a skyline that is very much in flux.
The preliminary permit application lists an increase from 25 to 34 floors and names Landmark Properties as the applicant, according to SFYIMBY. The filing does not specify an exact rooftop height but indicates that SDT Architects remains the design architect, with Myefski Architects serving as the architect of record. The project team has not shared a timeline for the pre-application stage, SFYIMBY reports.
The Zoning Adjustments Board had previously approved a 25-story entitlement that called for roughly 326 apartments, ground-floor retail, and basement parking for about 51 cars and 271 bicycles, as reported by Berkeleyside. Landmark first announced plans for a project at 2190 Shattuck in 2022, describing the proposal as student-oriented in a company press release. In outlining its vision for the site, Landmark Properties stated that the development would offer a mix of unit types and street-level retail close to the campus.
How state law unlocked extra floors
The revised application points to recent changes in the State Density Bonus framework as the tool that opened the door to a larger building envelope. Assembly Bill 1287 expanded the ability to “stack” bonuses for on-site affordable units, a shift that legal analysts say can materially increase allowable density and height. The California Department of Housing and Community Development notes that Government Code § 65915 provides eligible projects with a path to extra units, concessions, and waivers that local rules must accommodate, which developers can use to justify taller proposals. HCD guides the application of those state provisions.
Where the proposal would sit on the skyline
If the revised 34-floor concept ends up taller than earlier estimates, it would join a cluster of recent proposals that have pushed Berkeley’s height records. Nearby filings include NX Ventures’ roughly 317-foot, 28-story plan at 1950–1998 Shattuck and a 284-foot student housing proposal at 2128 Oxford Street, projects that Berkeleyside and others have followed as they reshape the downtown horizon.
The city has not posted a detailed timeline for when a fully modified application might be available, and the developer did not respond to a request for comment, according to SFYIMBY. The new filing drops into an ongoing debate over upzoning downtown corridors and protections for small businesses, an issue the San Francisco Chronicle recently profiled. Any change to the project will still need to navigate Berkeley’s entitlement process before construction can start.
