Author: onesanmateo

City gives up affordable housing fees

San Mateo will forgo millions of dollars in developer-paid fees to address the affordable housing crisis in a move the city’s mayor called shocking and hypocritical.

Just months after approving linkage fees commercial developers would pay to help offset the impacts to the regional housing crisis, the city was asked to make concessions and provide a discount for five projects. Staff and the majority of the council described amendment to the city’s ordinance as a clarification and in fairness to developers that already had projects in the pipeline when the new fees were approved.

But Mayor David Lim said he was shocked and opposed to “spot legislation” that would cater to just a handful of developers.

“I know this is strong language, but it’s basically kowtowing to developers. We’re going to lose $2.9 million to $3.9 million that we could use for affordable housing,” Lim said. “I think this is one of the worst decisions I’ve ever seen the council make.”

San Mateo’s rental rates keep rising

Reports: Most expensive in area with growth outpacing rest of the nation It is shaping up to be a long, hot summer for San Mateo renters as monthly fees due to landlords ticked up by nearly 4 percent in last year, continuing a steady incline for the past six months, according to a recent report. … Continue reading San Mateo’s rental rates keep rising

Letter: Affordable housing to take back seat in Burlingame again?

Burlingame’s City Council will vote late on Monday evening, July 3, whether to accept the terms in an agreement with Topgolf, an entertainment facility that is planned to be built on Bayfront property. The site is public land — former landfill and unsuitable for housing. By state law, if it were suitable, the land would have to be offered to affordable housing developers. We assert that the revenue from renting the land should by all rights be put into an affordable housing fund.

California lawmakers have tried for 50 years to fix the state’s housing crisis. Here’s why they’ve failed

After an hour of debate, Herb Perez had had enough.

Perez, a councilman in the Bay Area suburb of Foster City, was tired of planning for the construction of new homes to comply with a 50-year-old state law designed to help all Californians live affordably.

Reflection #1: Forever Free

We often begin our meetings with a reflection which helps put our work in context and maybe even provides us with some hope and inspiration. Here we would like to make some of those reflections available for all. From our meeting on June 18, 2017: Forever Free: Edmonia Lewis, Marble, 1867 by Tyehimba Jess What … Continue reading Reflection #1: Forever Free

San Mateo Housing Story #4: Barbara O’ Neil’s Story

When I moved to the Bay Area 35 years ago, I knew that this was where I wanted to spend the rest of my life. But as a veteran middle school teacher in the San Mateo/Foster City School District, and the victim of a 60% rent increase, living in San Mateo is no longer affordable. I am voting yes on Measure Q so that our schools will be able to attract new teachers, and to stop the loss of so many dedicated teaching professionals and school staff who are leaving the district due to the high cost of housing in the area.