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It's the same all over the world. Politicians seem to have too close ties with developers and real estate investors and they put unhealthy zoning laws in effect

It's the same all over the world. Politicians seem to have too close ties with developers and real estate investors and they put unhealthy zoning laws in effect to drive prices into absurd regions and boost tax income as well. People should contact their representatives and ask them to change this. It worked in Span (admittedly, they overdid it), it would work anywhere. Unfortunately, there's no easy workaround for the situation. Perhaps an "Uber for commuters" would work, together with some sort of coordinated purchase/rent of affordable housing in areas ~1 hour commute from those chokepoints? (i.e. get 100 people to move to a small village together, then fill 2 busses every day with commuters to SF).

TomVDB 9y ago
Are you sure that the zoning laws are driven by developers and real estate investors? In most Bay Area cities, they are the wishes of the residents who do not want more development. My neighborhood in Sunnyvale was recently rezoned to be single story only and that process is entirely driven by the residents, not the politicians. It was the 25th neighborhood in Sunnyvale to do so, and it cost around $200 per resident to file an application. No a single resident was against it.
- rmk 9y ago
  Palo Alto has a 50-ft building height limit. The height of greed, that is!
  - TomVDB 9y ago
    50 ft is plenty, 3 stories, and has little to do with greed. The new zoning rules in our neighborhood limit height to 17 ft. And greed wasn't the driving factor either. People are much more concerned about the new neighbor tearing down the single story house next door and building an ugly two story McMansion from which you can look straight down in their garden/pool.
nerfhammer 9y ago
It seems to be a Western phenomenon and much less of problem in Asia where NIMBYism is seen as being not socially responsible

TomVDB 9y ago

Are you sure that the zoning laws are driven by developers and real estate investors? In most Bay Area cities, they are the wishes of the residents who do not want more development. My neighborhood in Sunnyvale was recently rezoned to be single story only and that process is entirely driven by the residents, not the politicians. It was the 25th neighborhood in Sunnyvale to do so, and it cost around $200 per resident to file an application. No a single resident was against it.

rmk 9y ago
Palo Alto has a 50-ft building height limit. The height of greed, that is!
- TomVDB 9y ago
  50 ft is plenty, 3 stories, and has little to do with greed. The new zoning rules in our neighborhood limit height to 17 ft. And greed wasn't the driving factor either. People are much more concerned about the new neighbor tearing down the single story house next door and building an ugly two story McMansion from which you can look straight down in their garden/pool.

nerfhammer 9y ago

It seems to be a Western phenomenon and much less of problem in Asia where NIMBYism is seen as being not socially responsible