Dear Council,
I’m writing in support of proceeding with the RFQ process to create affordable homes downtown.
The project seems like a clear win to me -- the community would get:
* Housing affordable to the downtown workforce -- the Housing Element cites that 96% (!) of our workforce commutes in
* Fresh replacement parking; our current lots are bumpy, with degraded pavement, and cars are often misparked which makes the aisles and spots tough to navigate
* More foot traffic and vibrancy downtown from the additional residents
All this, while the city retains ultimate ownership of the land due to the ground lease(s) that would make all this possible, and oversight of the design process. I see a lot of good in this plan that I know was the result of a lot of hard work. And I know a lot of planning is still to come once responses to the RFQ start to come in.
Having workforce housing -- especially this close to service industry jobs -- is obviously a huge boon for our local businesses who struggle to hire. I’ve heard time and again from local restaurant owners in particular about the challenges they face. Staff are either living in frustratingly overcrowded conditions, or have to be enticed to come in from farther and farther away due to the ever-rising cost of rent, utilities, and expenses. Not only is this all tough for small business owners and staff, those costs of course get passed along to all of us -- or we lose businesses altogether when the math just stops working. Id love to see more life back in our downtown.
I understand that Mountain View, San Mateo, Burlingame, and San Carlos have already built/approved housing on their downtown city-owned lots, and Palo Alto and Los Altos are planning to do the same. We’re in good company with this proposal and I think our neighboring cities offer great examples of how this kind of thing can work while enhancing and supporting a vibrant downtown.
So, I support these centrally-located homes for many reasons, including that they’ll help the city support its workforce, improve equity, and reduce in-commuting. It’s also very important that the city sticks to the commitments made in its Housing Element. I’m concerned that this project is already running a bit behind, as was recently noted in the Almanac, and I don’t want to risk reopening the Builders Remedy window, among other penalties.
Thanks for your time -- I know its been a busy few weeks!
Brittani Baxter
District 3 resident
