Ground Broken for Environmental Center

Workers broke ground Wednesday on the Brower Center, a hub for the environmental movement and one of the most complicated developments orchestrated by the city of Berkeley.

The four-story building is named for pioneering environmental leader and longtime Berkeley resident David Brower, who died in 2000. It will house dozens of environmental groups, including the California League of Conservation Voters and Earth Island Institute, and be built according to U.S. Green Building Council standards.

To raise the project’s $75 million cost, the city and the nonprofit Brower Developers added affordable housing, retail space and a public garage.