Ferran Torras, a local artist, is set to paint a mural on the facades of eight vacant storefronts on Center Street in downtown Berkeley. This initiative was prompted by the need to beautify the abandoned properties that have sat empty as development plans for a new apartment building have stalled. Funded by Core Spaces and the UC Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund, the mural aims to enhance the aesthetic appeal of the area. However, the project, along with several others, is currently on hold due to financial constraints and market uncertainties impacting construction.
"We are making something nice for the traffic that goes through this space," artist Ferran Torras said recently as he stood before a long stretch of boards, his blank canvas, covering eight vacant storefronts.
The new mural is being funded with $16,500 from Core Spaces and $7,000 from the UC Berkeley Chancellor's Community Partnership Fund.
When it became clear in January that Core Spaces was not going to break ground, the Downtown Berkeley Association began looking for ways to make the boarded-up storefronts more appealing.
The project is now on hold, along with an estimated 16 other development projects planned for downtown Berkeley, due to high interest rates and construction costs.
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