With talk about a moratorium on market-rate construction in the Mission — and Emeryville's recent flirtation with a ban of its own — it seems the prospect of building more affordable housing in the Bay Area is growing bleaker all the time. Maybe not, though, if Oakland is serious about its new proposal.
Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf and her staff floated an idea to the Chronicle: What if San Francisco residents who qualify for below market-rate housing move to ZIP codes starting with 946 instead?
It’s not a perfect idea, of course. It comes uncomfortably close to enshrining as city policy the notion that San Francisco is reserved for the affluent (not to mention the unsubtle racial overtones). It’s also a capitulation to market distortions that have made $3,500 studios the new normal. And nothing should let Mayor Ed Lee off the hook when it comes to fulfilling his promise to open up or build 30,000 units in San Francisco within five years.
But all of that is an academic debate if we’re talking about actually putting roofs over people who might otherwise be banished to Stockton. Since the real conversation that needs to happen is among the region’s local governments, Schaaf’s idea seems like a great jumping-off point for increased collaboration. As it stands, municipalities can pretend their actions have no consequences outside their respective city limits.
As SFGate notes, a seven-year-old regional planning law essentially requires the Bay Area to accommodate future growth while reducing carbon emissions, so cooperation is essential. More affordable housing now, please, and let’s maybe hurry up on that second Transbay Tube while we’re at it.
[via SFGate; image courtesy of ThinkStock]
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