Residents and advocates press council for 100% affordable housing and reparative measures at Ashby

Public commenters and community groups used the council meeting to press for deeper affordability and reparative action at Ashby. Multiple speakers said the proposed mix of market‑rate and affordable units risks "wealth extraction" from South Berkeley and urged the council to pursue 100% permanently affordable housing or to expand deeply affordable shares.

Reverend Sofia DeWitt (East Bay Housing Organizations) urged support for the resolution to move negotiations forward while noting disappointment that the term sheet falls short of community calls for full affordability. Other speakers, including Deb from Healthy Black Families and Aya de Leon (Berkeley Poet Laureate), framed the site as a chance to redress historic displacement and said anything short of very large shares of extremely low‑income units continues harm. The council repeatedly acknowledged those concerns but several members said the city's fiscal reality — including the failure of Measure L and limited regional funding this year — constrained the maximum share of deeply subsidized housing possible without jeopardizing the project's feasibility.

Mayor Arreguin and other members emphasized that the council's action preserves a path to build housing and community infrastructure now and that future funding could expand affordable units. Staff said the term sheet includes a right‑of‑return priority for previously displaced households and that the city's reserved $26.5 million for this project will help achieve deeper affordability for many units.