Much of Downtown Berkeley’s Shattuck Avenue remains vacant, with one to two unoccupied lots per block. Despite efforts to reinvigorate the neighborhood, this issue has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Downtown Berkeley Association CEO John Caner, the vacancies are a result of high interest rates, the unhoused population and delayed development of several blocks. Specifically, future developments have been postponed due to interest rates which spiked from 2% to over 6% in recent years, according to District 4 Councilmember Igor Tregub. Read more through the link in bio. ✍️: Esme Hyatt & Paarth Mishra 📸: Christopher Reyes . . . #ucberkeley #dailycal #berkeley #shattuck #businesses