- 700 s.f.
- Zoned commercial (ZC)
- Walkable to UC Berkeley campus, Downtown BART, steps from #25 bus line
- Asking price: $ loading... (price increasing 20 percent per year; if you notice the price, it is increasing every few seconds)
- Lease price: NNN $4600/mo + HOA fees (approx $5000/mo total)
Street level
Two east-facing windows, remodeled dark wood floors, marble-countered stairwell, copious electrical outlets.
Stairs of doom
Underground level
This is a weird one. The ceiling height is barely 6 feet, there are pipe terminals at odd ends, yet it has been remodeled with tiling and torchlights to look like a retail showroom, yet to the right, there is a smartly remodeled bathroom with shower that has a distintly residential flavor.
If you are tall, you will be forever bumping your head in this region. This is why, although there is a separate room that appears to be dedicated to storage, you really should use the entire underground level as a storage area.
There is also a utility closet with sump pump where you need to keep access clear to in case of maintenance.
Floor plans
These are floorplans from before the remodel that give a sense of the dimensions of the spaces.
Neighborhood
This is a weirdly frou-frou, semi-residential pocket of Berkeley, slightly removed from the bustle of the typical college-centered takeout restaurants and chain stores. Nearby businesses include: architects, old-timey printers, an old-timey internet service provider, yoga studios, and a wine shop.Parking
There are no off-street parking spaces included. The parking on MLK is from 9AM-6PM (8 hours) and is usually filled up by mid-day. There is a yellow-zoned space immediately in front of the building for drop-offs, pick-ups. There are two-hour parking spaces on the cross streets, so those would tend to have more turnover.
Foot traffic
The space is next to the #25 bus stop, and though students and workers frequently pass through on their way to/from the various schools (UCB, BHS), this is not as heavily trafficked as downtown or 4th Street, so most likely your business must be able to draw its clientele without relying on walk-ins.Noise
The unit is on a main street, and therefore when doors are open, car traffic is highly noticeable. Moreover, the sound insulation is extremely thin between this unit and the upstairs residential unit, so any business must keep that in mind in terms of keeping reasonable operating hours.HOA
This unit is part of a commercial condo development. As such, it is subject to various bylaws and regulations. What this basically amounts to is you have neighbors who you will need to get along with in order to operate. For many kinds of high-profile, high-impact businesses, this would be a tall order, so think carefully before moving forward. Whether you are leasing or buying, this also means you will be paying between $300-$400 extra a month in HOA fees, which are expected to rise as costs of ongoing repairs to the development are factored in.Is your business suitable?
The space has been zoned for retail use, meaning the permiting process is a simple over-the-counter transaction in the city office.For office or studio use, and AUP (Administrative Use Permit) is required, and takes a few days longer.
For food service use, there would need to be significant and likely prohibitively expensive improvements to pass health codes (for example, the installation of a sink on the main level). Packaged convenience foods (such as in a candy shop) would not fall under food service.
It's tempting to use the space as Live/Work, given that there's already a fancy bathroom with a shower, but certification from the city is apparently extremely tricky to navigate and would be doubly difficult given the oddities of the space, so it's probably best to think of it as your fancy bathroom away from home.
Video
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