Friday, January 5, 2018

Senator Wiener, has another ridiculous Housing Bill that could lead to the massive urbanization of Marin County

Senator Wiener, has another ridiculous Housing Bill.  

ALERT: This bill will affect ALL HOMEOWNERS near the Highway 101 Corridor.

 In suburban Mill Valley California, essentially ALL of the homes in the flat lands will have no density requirement and a height limit of 55 feet.  In a word, it will force the redevelopment of a quaint town into a high density urban area.


California bill would mandate denser, taller housing near transit

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San Francisco senator and assemblymember push for “transit-rich housing bonus”

Andre M
A new bill introduced in the California state legislature Wednesday by San Francisco Assemblymember Phil Ting, San Francisco Senator Scott Wiener, and East Bay Senator Nancy Skinner would cede developers a transit-housing bonus for taller denser developments near major transit hubs.
SB 827 would spare new housing developments from certain restrictions if they qualify as “transit-rich housing.” The initial version of the bill defines such housing as “parcels [...] within a one-mile radius of a major transit stop or a one-male radius of a high-quality transit corridor.”
California law defines a “major transit stop” as:
A site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service, or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.
For new housing built near such a hub, the bill lays out a variety of potential shortcuts through the permitting process, including:
The bill would exempt a project [from] maximum controls on residential density or floor area ratio, minimum automobile parking requirements, design standards that restrict the applicant’s ability to construct the maximum number of units consistent with any applicable building code, and maximum height limitations.
Patricia Chang
Via a press release, Sen. Wiener called the bill—and two other housing-related bills introduced today, one of which would mandate that cities keep more strict track of population growth and adjust housing requirements accordingly and another that would make it easier to build housing for farm workers—a necessary tool for speeding housing construction.
“After nearly 50 years of bad housing policy—policy designed to make it incredibly hard and expensive to create housing—we began the long process of righting the ship,” said Sen. Wiener.
The proposed law first goes to the State Senate’s fiscal committee for consideration.

1 comment:

  1. Business and political leaders in the states of Texas, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Arizona fully agree with Senator Wiener and the YIMBYs/WINMBYs that California has way too many attractive single family neighborhoods populated by often very prosperous persons/families--and these states with Texas in particular are very motivated to assume the burden of relocating and housing these same people and all of their economic resources! (I can even imagine throngs of various promoters/boosters going door-to-door selling the California exit option in the face of pending legislation like SB827!)

    Regardless of highly visible "Silicon Valley" support for SB827 and similar state-level efforts and laws to force densification on California single family zones--such laws may begin the GREAT EXODUS of major corporations, private-family business, wealthy and middle class households out of the state. Any economic decline in California will negatively impact support for and progress on green space development and ambitious environmental goals in both California and the nation as a whole!

    Very high tax and regulatory burdens (many I personally support!) so far have not led to such an economic and social decline--but forced densification bills like SB827 will negatively impact venture capitalists, college professors, CEOs, business owners and countless others literally where they choose to live with their families.

    Countless times I have been told by people -- both conservative and liberal -- that but for the love of their home, neighborhood and community they/their resources would leave the state due to its "challenges." Now, the prospect of block-busting state laws removes their ability to literally govern their own neighborhoods/communities. (Also, destroys incentives to maintain/improve single family housing stock in communities subject to forced densification.)

    State-level central control forced densification laws like SB827 will sever/break this last binding attachment to long term residency in the State among an irreplaceable critical mass wealth and economic resources--first a trickle then mass exodus and economic decline from a "self-inflicted wound" imposed on the people by arrogant state leadership.

    Once the negative consequences (or "BLESSINGS" from a Texan perspective as they will enjoy benefits) are realized and set in motion they will be very very hard to reverse.

    Perhaps a voter-rebellion led anti-densification initiative(s) could save the state from the damage of these proposed laws! Otherwise with the exodus/decline the debate shifts to which states--including Texas, Washington, Oregon and Colorado--will benefit most from the Great State of California's stumble.

    What high tax burdens and regulations failed to wreck and disassemble--overreach in the form of forced densification laws may ultimately set in motion (and the Texans cheer!).

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