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Because housing and zoning codes are controlled by city governments which are in turn controlled by owners of million dollar houses. It is against their economi
by impendia 14y ago
Because housing and zoning codes are controlled by city governments which are in turn controlled by owners of million dollar houses. It is against their economic interests, and also they are extremely sensitive to issues such as traffic, parking, and the like.
Reading the real estate ads in Palo Alto newspapers, it's extremely obvious that if developers could build to density where it made economic sense to, the housing bubble would disappear immediately. But it's a huge pain to get even the smallest project approved, and deliberately so.
I don't think it's right, but that's how it is.
- _delirium 14y agoThat's definitely true in Palo Alto, Atherton, etc., but San Jose has been pretty open to denser redevelopment, especially around downtown and Diridon Station.
- gtbcb 14y agoI agree, and this makes sense; however, I would think that creating cheaper living for the right kind of people (e.g. aspiring entrepreneurs) would be something that even the owners of these million dollar houses would be open to given that Palo Alto is the hub of entrepreneurial activity on the peninsula and seems to be something that the community takes pride in.
- argonaut 14y agoNo. You average (or at least the plurality demographic) million-dollar-house owner in Palo Alto is a middle-to-late-aged married couple that probably does not care about entrepreneurship.