From the New York Times:
Increasingly, even well-off professionals are finding they can no longer afford to live in the San Diego area. In October, the county’s median home price was the highest in a decade — $507,500 — according to CoreLogic, a data analysis company.
Part of the problem, housing experts say, is simply a shortage of units that is driving demand. As the number of San Diegans has risen, new housing construction has failed to keep pace.
And one reason for the lack of construction? The residents of San Diego.
In many cases, housing proposals fail because residents pressure officials to reject them on the grounds that they would spoil neighborhood character.
About six months ago, frustration over San Diego’s inability to lift its housing stock led to the formation of Housing You Matters, a coalition that includes business, building and environmental organizations. …
Housing You Matters appears to represent San Diego’s first formal organization of so-called Yimbys — an acronym for “Yes in My Backyard” and a wordplay on Nimby, or “Not in My Backyard.” …
The San Diego advocates say they are challenging an attitude that flared during a recent housing battle in Poway, about 20 miles from downtown San Diego.
A project was proposed to build 22 units of affordable housing for veterans on a vacant lot in town.
At an emotional hearing on Nov. 15, several residents attested to their admiration of veterans, but many also denounced the plan. It would be an eyesore and a traffic nightmare, they said. …
The project was rejected with a 3-to-2 vote.
At the risk of being politically incorrect, I’d recommend that we consider very carefully how we go about creating additional housing supply in our denser urban areas. There is often something worth preserving in the older neighbourhoods. Any policies aimed at increasing density or coverage must carefully consider the impact on existing stock. Many developers, for instance, would often welcome the opportunity to raze older housing to replace it with higher density housing if that meant they wouldn’t have to cough up $ for creating new infrastructure on the edges of cities.
That being said, far too much urban land is currently tied up by existing zoning in low density development.