A California judge ruled that the West Berkeley Shellmound is a “historic structure,” exempting the sacred site from a fast-track building permit under SB35, and saving it (for now) from a five-story condo-retail-parking development.
What is the relationship between sacred places and biodiversity? Project Director Toby McLeod reports on a three-month research project by six U.C. Berkeley students…
After a two-year battle, developers have withdrawn their plans to build a 5-story condo complex at the West Berkeley Shellmound. We are not calling this a “victory” because the land owners say they’ll try to move ahead—but now is the time to advance another vision for the site.
There is very clear evidence of cultural artifacts beneath the pavement of Spenger’s Parking Lot at 1900 Fourth Street, no matter what the developers may claim.
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
The Ohlone campaign to protect the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site suffered a setback last week as the developer invoked a new state law that takes control of housing project approval away from local zoning boards and requires over-the-counter rubber stamp approval by planning departments.
When a developer proposed a 5-story condo-commercial complex on the site of a 5,000-year-old Ohlone village site known as the “West Berkeley Shellmound,” fierce opposition grew in support of local leader Corrina Gould.
It was a sad, sunless Sunday at the corner of 4th Street and Hearst. Few shoppers—or Berkeley residents for that matter—are aware that an ancient Ohlone village once graced this sprawling site around…
California Senator Dianne Feinstein and the Westlands Water District are teaming up to deliver yet another wave of water wealth to corporate farmers and campaign contributors in central and southern…