In response to concerns about increasing neighborhood density, the San Carlos Planning Commission recommended last week that the city revert to pre-2011 development standards, which were much more stringent on minimum lot sizes. This change would increase the minimum lot sizes from 5,000 S/F to 10,000 S/F, and lot width from 40 to 65 feet. It also puts restrictions on flag lots, which are parcels of land at the end of a long driveway with no road frontage. The Planning Commission voted 5-0 in favor of this recommendation.
Zoning changes made in 2011 allowed construction of larger homes, and for homeowners of lots 10,000 S/F of more to split their lots in order to increase the city's supply of housing. They allowed for homes to cover 50% of the total lot square footage, rather than the 40% permitted under pre-2011 zoning laws. In addition to allowing for the construction of larger homes, the increased lot coverage makes constructing accessory dwelling units possible for more homeowners.
The city had already placed a moratorium on the 2011 zoning changes back in June. This was in response to resident complaints that homes were being built too large on lots that were too small, and that lots splits were leading to too much neighborhood density.
San Carlos, like most cities on the peninsula, has seen a recent surge in housing demand due to nearby job growth. This has attracted the attention of developers and builders who see that there is money to be made in San Carlos. But increasing density is hardly ever a popular idea in small close-knit communities like San Carlos, so it's not much of a surprise to see residents push back against more relaxed zoning laws.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Facebook Pledges $20 Million to Affordable Housing
Last week, Facebook announced they will spend $20 million to help alleviate the housing shortage in their neighbor cities of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto. About $18.5 million will go towards building new housing, mostly targeted at low/middle income families, while the rest will go towards job training programs and providing legal assistance to tenants facing eviction. This announcement comes as Facebook and other tech giants have been facing growing pressure to partner with local governments and community organizations to find solutions to the region's housing shortage - a problem which many feel has been exacerbated by unchecked tech growth.
Facebook's rapid expansion into East Menlo Park, a historically low-income region, has been a point of contention as of late. Early in 2015, they opened up a brand new 430,000 S/F Frank Gehry designed campus expansion within shouting distance of East Menlo Park's Belle Haven community. Almost immediately after they cut the ribbon on that building, they submitted plans to the City of Menlo Park to redevelop an adjacent property into roughly 1 million square feet of additional office space. That project - also Frank Gehry designed - was promptly approved, and construction has been underway for over a year now. With all of this new office space to put to use, Facebook has estimated that they will bring 6,500 new employees to the area in the coming years.
A coalition of local community organizations had planned to sue Facebook over the stress 6,500 new employees could put on an already overburdened housing market. However, after a series of meetings with Facebook representatives, they agreed not to. Tameeka Bennett, executive director of Youth United for Community Action, one of the groups in the coalition, said she is convinced that Facebook is committed to partnering with the community to address the housing shortage. And more so than any of their Silicon Valley peers, their actions have demonstrated as much.
Facebook's recent $20 million announcement isn't the first commitment they have made to combat the housing crisis. Last year, in partnership with St. Anton Development, they broke ground on a 394-unit apartment complex at 3639 Haven Avenue. Those units will be offered to non-Facebook employees, and 15 of them will be subsidized by Facebook for low-income families. They extended their commitment to constructing publicly available housing earlier this year, when they unveiled a proposal to build 1,500 total units, 15% of which would be reserved for low to middle income families. This hands on approach to tackling the housing shortage is completely breaking the mold of how Silicon Valley tech companies offer support to communities impacted by their growth. While it is fairly common for companies to pay "impact fees" to help fund affordable housing, it is unprecedented for them to actually build the housing themselves.
To be fair, this isn't a completely altruistic effort on the part of Facebook. Housing costs in the Bay Area have made it increasingly difficult for companies like Facebook to recruit the talent they want, so adding to the supply of housing serves their interests by driving those costs down and making it easier for them to recruit.
Perhaps others will follow Facebook's lead. There are certainly plenty of eyes on Google in Mountain View, and Apple in Cupertino, hoping they will make similar efforts. Stay tuned
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| Bird's eye view of Facebook's recent campus expansion. Chilco Street is the only thing separating it from East Menlo Park's Belle Haven community (visible in the top left) |
Facebook's rapid expansion into East Menlo Park, a historically low-income region, has been a point of contention as of late. Early in 2015, they opened up a brand new 430,000 S/F Frank Gehry designed campus expansion within shouting distance of East Menlo Park's Belle Haven community. Almost immediately after they cut the ribbon on that building, they submitted plans to the City of Menlo Park to redevelop an adjacent property into roughly 1 million square feet of additional office space. That project - also Frank Gehry designed - was promptly approved, and construction has been underway for over a year now. With all of this new office space to put to use, Facebook has estimated that they will bring 6,500 new employees to the area in the coming years.
A coalition of local community organizations had planned to sue Facebook over the stress 6,500 new employees could put on an already overburdened housing market. However, after a series of meetings with Facebook representatives, they agreed not to. Tameeka Bennett, executive director of Youth United for Community Action, one of the groups in the coalition, said she is convinced that Facebook is committed to partnering with the community to address the housing shortage. And more so than any of their Silicon Valley peers, their actions have demonstrated as much.
Facebook's recent $20 million announcement isn't the first commitment they have made to combat the housing crisis. Last year, in partnership with St. Anton Development, they broke ground on a 394-unit apartment complex at 3639 Haven Avenue. Those units will be offered to non-Facebook employees, and 15 of them will be subsidized by Facebook for low-income families. They extended their commitment to constructing publicly available housing earlier this year, when they unveiled a proposal to build 1,500 total units, 15% of which would be reserved for low to middle income families. This hands on approach to tackling the housing shortage is completely breaking the mold of how Silicon Valley tech companies offer support to communities impacted by their growth. While it is fairly common for companies to pay "impact fees" to help fund affordable housing, it is unprecedented for them to actually build the housing themselves.
To be fair, this isn't a completely altruistic effort on the part of Facebook. Housing costs in the Bay Area have made it increasingly difficult for companies like Facebook to recruit the talent they want, so adding to the supply of housing serves their interests by driving those costs down and making it easier for them to recruit.
Perhaps others will follow Facebook's lead. There are certainly plenty of eyes on Google in Mountain View, and Apple in Cupertino, hoping they will make similar efforts. Stay tuned
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