[quote=bearishgurl]I don’t believe that CA coastal counties (and the most desirable cities within them) HAVE A DUTY to provide “affordable housing” to renters and 1st and 2nd time homebuyers and certainly do not have a duty to provide new construction housing tracts (of all prices ranges) TO ANYONE!
The low and moderate income renter and 1st and 2nd time homebuyer can keep driving inland until they find something to live in that they can afford. If they don’t like what’s on offer after they leave the coastal zone, then move out of county or out of state.
That’s the way its always been.
The SF Peninsula is within the “coastal zone.” Whether all of its tech companies stay or move to TX tomorrow, none of its jurisdictions “have a duty” to provide any type of housing to those looking for it except what already exists. If that is a 1180 sf fixer bungalow circa 1947 with a 350 sf granny flat over the garage in back for $850K, then so be it. Prospective buyers must accept these facts or shop elsewhere.
I don’t buy that SM and SC County real estate will “crash” if their local “tech bubble” bursts. Those cities were humming along quite nicely before Big Tech moved in and and will continue to do so. There are enough VERY established residents (and diversified industries) in most of those small cities as well as a LOT of BIG money and OLD money floating around there (often one and the same) that isn’t going anywhere today, tomorrow or ever. In other words, if the Google buses are off the road, it will just clear the ATV lanes and city bus stops they were using for other drivers.
The tech industry is not the be-all and end-all. I guarantee that SV will survive if all the youngish tech nerds exited it tomorrow.[/quote]
I agree that coastal counties don’t have a duty to provide affordable housing or any housing at all for that matter. The taxpayers of Solana Beach just got a bad deal on the city Council’s unanimous approval of an affordable housing apartment complex on Sierra Ave next to the ocean. It would have been cheaper to buy existing housing stock for less and designate them low income vs paying $600,000 a unit for new construction.
Yes, ideally the government should stay out of the housing business, but will the private sector fill the gap for “affordable housing?” Suppose in the next 10 years the coastal cities from Carlsbad to Del Mar become completely upscale with $2000 a month the base rent for a 1 bedroom apartment and houses selling for $600/sq ft. Where are the proverbial fast food workers, cashiers and retail clerks in these coastal cities going to live and will they commute from 20 miles away if petrol is $10 per gallon? Going a step up, how about a veterinarian assistant or a nursing assistant? How are you going to attract them to work in Del Mar if there is no place close for them to sleep at night? I don’t see many dumpy motels along 101 between Del Mar and Carlsbad they can stay at for the night, like in Silicon Valley along El Camino Real.
