A proposed backyard infill project behind two Victorian houses on Dwight Way in Berkeley's Southside neighborhood has grown from three units to eight in the latest plans. The proposal at 2336 Dwight Way calls for a three-story building behind the existing homes, although the application remains under review.
The latest application, reported by San Francisco YIMBY, describes eight proposed dwelling units in a new three-story structure. The filing says demolition of either existing house would not be required, so the homes would remain in place if the project is approved. San Francisco YIMBY characterized the houses as Victorian-era structures believed to date to the late 19th or early 20th century.
One detail is conspicuously missing from the new filing: a bedroom count for the eight units. That's a shift from the project's earlier iteration, which spelled out its layout in far more specific terms.
How the Plan Has Changed Since February
A preliminary application reported by San Francisco YIMBY in February described three units, each a four-bedroom apartment of about 1,350 square feet. That proposal, prepared by Sunday Builders Inc., also placed new housing behind the same two existing houses.
A Broader Push for Small-Scale Housing
The Dwight Way proposal comes as Berkeley is expanding the kinds of housing that can be built on residential lots. According to a Berkeley Planning Commission report, the city's 2023-2031 Housing Element includes a program to amend zoning so that multi-unit development is allowed on single lots in low-density residential districts. The commission's June 2025 packet also said Berkeley had received and approved projects it characterized as “missing middle” housing. City records separately show that the City Council adopted zoning changes in December 2023 to increase residential development potential in the Southside Plan Area. The city's Housing Element Update lists a Regional Housing Needs Allocation of 8,934 residential units for 2023-2031.
The jump from three larger apartments to eight units without a stated bedroom breakdown raises questions about how much housing the site would ultimately deliver. The outlet's own assessment notes that despite the higher unit count, the overall residential capacity might have remained unchanged or decreased, since smaller units could mean fewer total bedrooms even as the number of addresses on the lot climbs.
Who Owns the Dwight Way Lot
Oakland-based United Land Power Inc. is listed as the owner and purchased the property in 2022 for $1.8 million, according to San Francisco YIMBY. A separate Realtor.com listing gives the sale price as $1.82 million.
The 0.16-acre property sits on Dwight Way between Ellsworth Street and Dana Street, just over a block from Telegraph Avenue. That location places the proposed housing near shops, restaurants and transit serving the UC Berkeley area.
For now, the project remains at the application stage, with the bedroom configuration of the eight proposed units still unspecified in the latest filing.
