Developer pulls out of UC Berkeley homeless housing project at People’s Park

The nonprofit developer that was going to build the homeless housing portion of UC Berkeley’s People’s Park development has pulled out of the project, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Resources for Community Development, a developer based in Berkeley, said it was dropping out because of court delays. In February, a California appeals court blocked UC Berkeley from continuing with the project, citing environmental concerns. It was the latest of several delays to the project caused by court rulings.

“This creates significant delays and new challenges that negatively impact our capacity to move forward,” Lauren Lyon, a spokeswoman for the nonprofit developer, said in a statement to the Chronicle.

UC Berkeley plans to continue with its plans to build student housing on a portion of the site and find another developer to continue with the housing for the community, Dan Mogulof, a spokesperson told the Chronicle.

“The university’s commitment to donate a significant portion of the site for the construction of supportive housing is unwavering, as is our commitment to the other, essential elements of the project, including urgently needed student housing; revitalized, open green space; and a commemoration of the site’s storied past,” Mogulof said. “The university also shares the perspectives of RCD, the City of Berkeley, and the Governor regarding the recent appellate court ruling and we look forward to presenting our arguments to the California Supreme Court.”