The demonstrators will gather at Berkeley’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Civic Center Park and then march to People’s Park for a rally.
Organizers are waging a vigorous campaign to preserve the park. Last week, Berkeleyside reported that a state appeals court ordered a stay in the planned construction of housing at the site as a result of a lawsuit by two groups – one of four – challenging the University of California’s settlement agreement with the City of Berkeley.
Under the plan, Cal would pay 83-million dollars to the city over 16 years in service and support for development plans, which include constructing more than 100 units of affordable housing.
The court will decide whether to extend its temporary restraining order in two weeks. The merits of an environmental impact study will be heard a week later.
If the stay is lifted, the university said it plans to start construction of two residential towers, with beds for 11-hundred students. The site has already been prepared for construction, with the relocation of about 50 residents at the site, the closing of public bathrooms and the removal of trees from the park.
