Housing advocates and developers are warily watching California’s intensifying drought and what it may mean for the state. Millions more homes are needed to house residents, yet 85% of California is experiencing extreme drought conditions. Already the need for housing is colliding with the water shortage in the coastal area of Marin County (north of […]
Pomona Approves ‘Inclusionary Housing’ Ordinance
New rules meant to address a shortage of affordable housing in Pomona are set to take effect in May following the City Council’s near-unanimous approval of an “inclusionary housing” ordinance. After months of discussion, the council on Jan. 4 voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, which requires future residential developments to include a certain percentage […]
Tech Companies Pledge Funds for Housing
A tech company paying six figures to a college grad–or someone right out of high school–might seem like a dream, if finding housing they could afford wasn’t such a nightmare. Average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Francisco is about $3,700, in Los Angeles it’s about $2,500. The median family income for the United […]
What ‘Affordable’ Looks Like
Communities often oppose “affordable housing” because they think it’s for the destitute. But these days, middle-income earners usually qualify for “affordable housing.” Affordable housing could be more accurately termed “workforce housing.” One REALTOR® describes a difficult transaction that not only involved an individual buyer, but also the local community, which at first opposed her development […]