We have some thoughtful council members here in Ole B'game. I don't always agree with their priorities or their approaches, but in the case of Mayor Brownrigg and Vice Mayor Colson, there is recent evidence of thoughtful housing proposals. For the moment, let's put aside whether or not there is a "housing crisis", whether or not the local population will return to positive growth, whether or not the RHNA numbers driving policy (and the Big Stick from Rob Bonta) are reasonable and just look at the Brownrigg/Colson proposals as shown in a recent Guest Perspective in the Daily Journal. I will boil them down a bit or you can click through for all of it:
1. Sacramento could waive capital gains taxes for property owners who sell land to affordable housing developers.
2. The state could streamline eminent domain for housing on underutilized parcels and then subsidize a city’s acquisitions.
3. The state should help market-rate builders include more affordable housing units with tax rebates or direct cash subsidies.
4. Faster than cities can create affordable units, we are losing even more “naturally affordable” units in older buildings when they get sold. Indeed, the state does not even count a deed-restricted preserved affordable unit toward a city’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation requirements. That has to change.
5. The state’s housing targets seek a 15% increase in Bay Area housing. Punitive and prescriptive state housing mandates should be waived for cities issuing building permits exceeding a 10% increase in units.
6. Water allowances should be prioritized for cities that undergo a 10% increase in actual occupied housing units. (see the post directly below)
7. Infrastructure spending should be directed to communities that are getting housing built.
8. And for social mobility, let’s reward cities that create more affordable family units (two bedrooms or more).
Number 2, easier eminent domain, is the only one that raises a "Hell no" from me. That is just replacing one big authoritarian stick with another. Missing is my number 9: introduce a pause in commercial development to give the housing market time to catch up. That is really the only feasible way to bring back some balance without demolishing single-family zoning and quality of life while overstressing our infrastructure. All of the others "just take money" that the state doesn't have.
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