Affordable Myths

The Daily Journal is reporting on the Council study session on so-called "affordable housing" downtown.  I shiver whenever I hear the term "affordable housing" in a government-driven context because the Law of Unintended Consequences is upheld so often.  Trying to create "affordable housing" in one place usually means increasing the cost of housing in another, nearby place because of the displacement effect.  It also ignores what economists call "externalities".  That link to Wikipedia talks about the costs of "unregulated markets" actions, but that is just Wiki progressivism since a "regulated decision" like this one can be even more harmful.  In this case, one of the main external victims would be the school system.  You need only read the ever-growing post on the Hoover situation to know the school crowding issue is real.  The article notes 

During a Monday study session, the City Council heard a presentation from the firm Pacific Western Community that proposed whether take two city parking lots and construct affordable housing for working people, or workforce housing, on one lot and construct a public parking structure on the other. The two proposed downtown lots are Lots F, located on Park Road and Howard Avenue, and Lot N, located just east of Lot F on Lorton and Howard avenues.

The piece goes on to note

“The most appealing part of the proposal is we would get several hundred parking spots downtown — that would be huge,” Nagel said. “There are many, many questions. This is just the start of the process. It’s important to have all types of housing available. People who work for nonprofits, teachers and others are the backbone of our community — people who are not paid huge paychecks. We’re hearing from them loud and clear we need to do something about this problem.”

I'm thinking it may be time for a Freedom of Information request to the City to review what we actually are "hearing loud and clear" that people want the City getting involved in on housing.  Anyone wanna bet it would be a very short file coming back?  And if you see how many of the comments come from B'gamers I'll bet it is even shorter.  By the way, maybe we should see what happens with the Post Office before the Council even thinks about getting in bed with another developer?  The last date didn't work out so well with Grosvenor!

Comments

[Bruce Dickinson]

Fellas, listen, the only thing that seems to be occupying the Burlingame tool-shed is a bag of hammers these days. Same as it were, with the Hoover job-site. Bruce Dickinson agrees that there should be affordable housing options in this town, including those for renters, who are about 50% percent of the population of our great City. What makes me angry, yes, really chaps my hide, are thoughtless unequivocal statements unsupported by evidence or even by sound logic tests. To wit, we need affordable housing for our teachers, public employees, airport workers etc because so many of them work here. Guys, Burlingame is a transient town, it's a dense suburb next to an INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT that requires a huge network of service support and is next to two major freeways, a thoroughfare (El Camino Real), a BART Station, Caltrain, and SamTrans stops. That's like saying, wow 400,000 people commute to San Francisco each day, so therefore San Francisco needs to house an extra 400,000 people. This my friends, is why the word DUMB is also a four letter word. Well, let me clue some of our officials in..guess what?? That's the beauty of being centrally located: employees can actually live in their favorite communities, which are more affordable than Burlingame, and commute to Burlingame in a short amount of time! Isn't that great!?! How's that for being patronizing, folks?

God willing, I hope that Burlingame residents can see right through these lies and that the perpetrators of such nonsense need to examine their conscience, let alone their abilities to say these things to Burlingame residents with a straight face. Seriously, residents of Burlingame, you are being sold short by patronizing elected officials, who not only have no respect for the truth, but no respect for you. Bruce Dickinson and some of my hand-picked talent are HIGHLY temped to run for City Council in the next election and effectuate a wholesale regime change. You will see things get done with clear, transparent, and sound logic that you thought would be impossible around these parts!

[Peter Garrison]

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce, Bruce!!!

[Where Are The Parents]

I just can't believe that the parents who are so involved and so committed to BCE and their kids schools would sit by and let these people jeopardize everything we have worked for. I know Brownrigg and Keigran are private school parents and Deal is in the development business so they don't really care about the schools but what about Nagel and Ortiz. Is Nagel so old now that she has forgotten what the schools are all about? And Ortiz? Is he just so new that he can't see the forest for the trees? We just finished McKinley and there is no more room anywhere at Washington. Are they all just from the North End and don't care what happens in the south? I really don't understand how they think and I am really upset. We have enough problems now and I hear things at BHS don't look any better if we add hundreds more students. What can parents do?

[Russ]

The most glaring issue is the statement that we would get more parking. Has the council forgotten that they are suggesting adding more people too? This is supply and demand 101. The more people you add, the more supply you need. Out of one side of their collective mouths they are suggesting we need more parking for the existing population and then out of the other side they are saying let's add more density. What's wrong with this picture?

[James]

I'm not as knowledgeable in local politics as the people on this website but Nagel always struck me as a "feel good" type without much common sense. I hope I didn't cross any protocol lines with that comment--just the way I see it.

[dtn]

You have not crossed any protocol lines. You are right on. If anything you have understated the damage she does to the town. Her feel-goody-two-shoes thinking actually does more harm than good and this affordable housing stupidity is a perfect example. Stick with your gut. You have figured it out.

[[email protected]]

Do any "friends" out here believe there are any reasons for "a single City of Burlingame Elder" should be re-elected?
Those City of Burlingame City Elders that are not up for election be recalled.
It has been done plenty of times in the SF Bay Area, as well as a State of California Governor.
Another "Big Decision to consider"...
The current City of Buringame Elders hired the "Latest City of Burlingame City Manager."
It is public knowledge "at City Hall" that there has been an exodus of "Upper Management" personal, including Upper Management-Temporary Personal refusing to take full time positions offered by The City Manager.
In large corporations that is pretty much the norm.
However, important issues that effect the City of Burlingames Schools, Police and Fire, water, sewer, and most of all, the businesses that supports the First Rate Community that deserve a representative that has worked with and understands the nuances that go into maintaining, a very City..
One of a kind in fact.
I believe our unusual group of City Elders had no business hiring a City Manager. They just did not know or understand what it takes to run a business-Corporation.
When it comes to tree planting, Community Gardens,keeping the sticky food off sidewalks, I would not want another on my side.
WE have a GREAT THING going on in Burlingame and if you take the sum of what every City Elder brings to the table, then putting a very inexperience Manager in Charge, the only logical reason the City Elders came up with that result was for a Scape goat.
I do not believe a City Manager position is a "trade" you can grow into.
The City of Alameda..
Look it up.

[[email protected]]

There is a lot of GREAT Information and Thought here at this web site. In order for change to take place sitting and writing about it lights the wick. All the hot air blows it out.
WE have opportunities to create change now.
We need a leader.
WE need a Revolution at the City of Burlingame.
Two Council members have children in Private school. Two other Elders have no reason to care about schools or the future of Burlingame..
They both "joined a club" to be with the cool group, Ortiz is probably wondering how he will be able to anything to help this City with the exception of the enforcement of leaf blower ordinances.
The City Manager should resign.
Why?
Did not know Burlingame was a City until she read about the City Manager Position at the web site CalOpps.
I think that sums up the reason for a complete recall of all City of Burlingame Elders before the end of the year.
There are a lot of good people out there who are not City Elders for ego, or Popularity contests. Some Elders use their position to network-Big Jerry Deal, Brownrigg, thinking about running for LT. Governor soon, but absolutely the most rudest man I ever seen interacting with us-The Little ones, as if we are autistic.
Nagel, pod cast; a cooking and fashion show. Last but not least, our own Burlingame Sarah Palin, the most attractive City Elder on the peninsula, voted most likely succeed, as long as the family money keeps rolling in Elder Kerrigan.
WE NEED BRUCE-Bumper Stickers or
MORE COWBELL.
Bruce says he loves this town ,,
Lets stop the neglect and poor decisions by City Hall.
I bet you that somewhere in Bruce Dickenson there is a small flame that yearns for some air.
Come on Bruce.

[pat giorni]

Council will most likely have the Housing Element discussion on its next agenda:

http://www.mercurynews.com/john-horgan/ci_26287021/john-horgan-menlo-park-citizens-are-pushing-back

John Horgan: Menlo Park citizens are pushing back
It's the local battle seemingly without end. It's the fight to maintain the suburbs as precisely that. Pressure to change communities south of San Francisco into something resembling actual cities is unrelenting.

Developers, politicians and their various allies see opportunities for growth, especially of the horizontal variety, and they go for the gold, or what they perceive as gold. But, on occasion, the citizenry gets its collective back up and resists.

We're seeing more of this behavior lately. The best current example might be occurring in Menlo Park. There, unhappy residents have launched a campaign to put the clamps on some forms of future construction, specifically in the affluent community's commercial core.

The impetus has come from a plan to develop valuable land along and near El Camino Real. Residents determined to maintain Menlo Park's small-town character have qualified a tough measure scheduled for the November ballot that is intended to lock in very strict development rules.

Critics claim that it's draconian and would tie the hands of a City Council going forward. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that seems to be the point. It's apparently what the proponents want. The voters, of course, will decide what they want.

It's worth pointing out the Menlo Park is also one of the San Mateo County burgs most vehemently opposed to the most damaging aspects of construction envisioned to support high-speed rail along the Caltrain corridor (if such a system ever comes to pass here).

Clearly, the citizens of Menlo Park are focused on keeping their community pretty much as it is. They are not alone. Slowly but surely, it's beginning to dawn on those paying attention that unified forces are at work to alter the look and feel of key parts of the Peninsula.

We can see some of the results already. Unattractive, boxy apartment/condo structures are popping up all over. They are being built to satisfy the latest mantra, "transit-oriented development."

It's a handy buzz phrase that has gained considerable traction among the planners and policymakers in our midst.

Fueling the move toward more and more TOD is a new regional effort to "stack and pack" housing units in the suburbs. It's dubbed "Plan Bay Area" and, in the main, the decision-makers involved tend not to live where these drab, new structures are being located.

They see their goals as being good for the region at large. However, the local residents who have to live with the results are not always thrilled. A backlash is coming. It's just a question of when and where.

It looks as though Menlo Park might be seeing the start.

[Jennifer]

Thanks for posting -- John Horgan definitely seems to understand how the TOD camel got its nose under the tent. Seems to be the story of what happens when all the acronyms align, literally like 'the stars'...

ABAG, PDA, CALTRANS, HSRA, MTC, GBI, RTB, etc.

[Peter Garrison]

First: don't vote in developers, architects or contractors.

[Bye-bye, Jerry.]

Peter,

First, don't vote in dishonest people.

Second, vote in an array of people with relevant experience including potentially developers, architects, real estate brokers, contractors, CPAs, MBAs, JDs, educators, etc.

Why? Because this is the reality of what a city council must deal with throughout their term...issues about development, city planning, budgets, revenues, expenses, bond issuance, auditing, hiring, firing.

I'd suggest that any city council member should simply decide to not do business in the small town of Burlingame during their term and thus eliminate any chance of conflict of interest. It's a big world out there, and recusing from voting on an issue, which the city council member is directly linked to is not enough.

It's supposed to be a safety valve in case you accidentally find yourself in a conflict of interest, not after you've purposely seeked out the conflict of interest! I don't think that 90% of Burlingame understands what's going on, or what I just referred to.

Ask the existing city council members...have you ever tried to get Burlingame to hire your husband's contracting company to build the development on the Post Office property?

Ask them...have you ever stated to a prospective design client that you could uniquely help them get planning or city council approval for their proposal based on your position on that same board (with a big, wide-eyed smile)?

Ask the city staff if they've ever told a planning applicant that if they hire one of the city council's firms that "their application will sail right through".

Ask them...have you ever been paid to speak at Union events as an honorarium or consulting fee?

Ask prior city council members...have you ever tried to rally the City of Burlingame to hire your personal development firm (not a developer, except for this one project) to develop Burlingame Point?

If you're disappointed with the existing city council, contribute to the competitors campaigns, volunteer and vote them out.

And, the local newspaper publishers are well aware of the above and never report it, and simply acknowledge it with a laugh of agreement because they're on the same team.

But, they're not really on your team.

Peter, you are mistaken to think voting for a developer, architect or contractor would hurt Burlingame. It's actually a necessity to have professional experience in these fields on city councils.

If conflicts of interest on a citizen fiduciary board are obvious and well known, then quit being asleep at the wheel as a citizen of Burlingame, or pay the price of bad decisions and missed opportunities.

It's the super-majority of the Dems that encourages all of the many examples of illegal and unethical actions from them throughout the Bay Area. It's the culture of punishing you if you question the Dem iron fist, and it's brain-washed worshippers.

It's the culture of punishing you if you question a Union decision or person that leads to the Group Think that is the Democratic party in The Bay Area and the dysfunction of "Credit Card Fantasy" governance.

Hmm, how can we generate lots of work for Union workers? I know, $100B on High Speed Rail and The Grand Boulevard Initiative, plus they're vaguely pro-environment (not really pro-environment at all), so that fits the whole Dem Poop Sandwich.

Stop kissing Dem butt so that you can make even more money. (Yes, I've been directly told that if I question the Dem frauds that I will be blacklisted from being able to get business done). And, I was directly told from a former Republican that he switched sides because he couldn't make a living in our area as an attorney if he questioned the Democrats.

Yes, Democracy absolutely requires questioning and debating issues to push towards the best possible policy (within the existing laws, or formally change them).

Bye-bye, Jerry.

What we really need is to have non Dem rock stars (along with Dem rock stars)to step up to pursue city council and other regional and national government leadership positions!

Bruce? Bill O'Reilly? Jon Stossel? Joe Baylock? Tom Huening? Scott Williams? Nick Koros? Curtis Raff? Todd Foster? Hillsborough citizens? Common Sense Burlingame citizens? Many other passive observers? The Republican Party of San Mateo and The Libertarian Party of San Mateo are both ready to help and fund your campaigns. Do not be afraid! Let's go!

[Peter Garrison]

You are right. Vote for honest people. I was painting with too broad a brush.

[Get Real!]

Did you say fiduciary?