Submitted by Mark Fernwood:
Few know that a massive apartment blocks may be coming to a neighborhood near you! Unelected bureaucrats in Plan Bay Area, ABAG, MTC and now the CASA Compact, will force thousands of high density housing projects into our communities. A portion of which will be for low to very low incomes. All this will totally change the character and livability of our communities.
The function of local zoning laws is to protect the character and commonality of our communities. Local zoning allows the residents to determine their future. Maintaining local character protects the value of our homes. With CASA, we now have Soviet style central planning imposed on us.
False Claim # 1. Amid cries of “housing crisis” we are told that there is an acute housing shortage. A quick fact check can be had by searching apartment locating web sites such as Hotpads.com, Apartmentfinder.com, Apartments.com and others. Each will show hundreds of vacant Bay Area units. A “crisis” of shortage should show only long waiting lists, not hundreds of vacant, waiting Bay Area apartments.
False Claim # 2. We are also told that housing is too expensive. CASA asserts that building still more units will lower costs. According to the Building Industry Association, the average cost to build a new Bay Area unit is $500,000. With this hard cost burden, new units cannot lower rents.
False Claim # 3. CASA’s further assertion, is that if populations are tightly packed, near transit hubs, residents will not need cars. In fact, no parking will be provided in many complexes. The reality is that most, if not all, will own cars and will have visitors with cars. This will further burden limited public parking. A stated goal is to reduce the amount traffic on highways. How will imposing high density on outlying communities, where there are few jobs or mass transit possibly help this?
False Claim # 4. We are also told adding more housing will help solve the “homeless” epidemic. The “homeless” have no money for any rent. However they can live for free in “shelters.’
False Claim # 5. We are lead to believe the “housing crisis” is unique to California and the Bay Area. This is actually just part of an international effort to compress populations. Google “housing crisis, Berlin” or another major, Western city.
There is also a very strange concept that those that work in a community should be able to afford to live there. Should those that service the lawns and pools in Beverly Hills actually expect to be able to live there? There are areas where housing is comparatively inexpensive, other areas that are median priced. There are also areas that are premium and even ultra-premium priced.
It should be of great concern how these agencies can dictate such destructive changes in our lives. Decisions imposed by the unelected regional governments, insures no means of redress. Our communities will be wrecked for “reasons” that are False. Consider: what will they do to us next?
What you can do is to become involved. Send this video on to as many others as possible. Call and write to your community and state leaders. Please donate to CoCoTax to help with the production of videos like this.
CoCoTax is a nonpartisan organization whose motto is “Good government at an affordable price.” To find out more about us go to: CoCoTax.org.
Suggested links:
Housing crisis, CASA Compact, Plan Bay Area, MTC,
