Jeffrey Heller of Heller Manus Architects, which designed theproject, says the project transformed the center "from a 1980ssuburban, car-oriented commercial development with a sea ofparking, to a fully mixed-use, transit- and pedestrian-focusedinfill plan."

The new mixed-use development includes up to one million sf ofoffice, housing and retail spaces of mixed building types, to bebuilt over the next 25 years. The project has approval for 670units of housing with a mix of rental, sale and 15% to 20% ofbelow-market-rate homes.

"The Bay Area is home to some of the largest commutes and worsttraffic congestion in the nation and the Bay Area Council HousingCommittee feels that the Emeryville Marketplace project isprecisely the type of innovative and sustainable development thatEmeryville and the rest of the Bay Area should be building," saysMatt Regan, director of housing at The Bay Area Council."