Cornerstone 3: Housing for Working Families Faster
We can build a stronger city by building where it makes the most sense. If you agree, join us:
San José now has the dubious distinction of being the least affordable metro area in the nation to buy or rent a home. The shortage of workforce housing has driven up housing costs, pushing too many families into poverty or even homelessness, and denying a new generation of families a legitimate shot at the American Dream of home ownership.
We clearly need more housing – and most importantly, more housing that is affordable for working people and families.
That’s why Matthew Quevedo is fighting for his eight-point More Housing Faster plan – to make sure we are building the housing we need, where it makes sense, so we create more affordable housing without more congestion and traffic.
1
Act boldly to Put 10,000 more housing units downtown.
Matthew wants to see the City of San José partner with San José State University to create 10,000 new housing units for students, professors, staff, and city workers right here in downtown. Just as the City of San José and San José State once boldly acted together to create the Martin Luther King Jr. library, we can act together to create housing at the Alquist building and other sites to strengthen SJSU, make it easier for the city to attract and retain the best workers, free up housing for others as this new housing is built – and create a vibrant downtown where people want to live, work, and gather. This will require some changes to state law – but that’s achievable. We can use the city and state’s deep discount for funding to create lease-revenue bonds that will cost taxpayers nothing because they will be paid back by rents.
2
Focus on the missing middle in housing.
We have invested in homes for very low income people and know the market can build luxury housing. What’s missing are homes for teachers, nurses, firefighters, mechanics, and those just starting out in their careers. These vital workers and young families need affordable options too – and this will be Matthew’s focus, making sure the city and all our partners are working harder to create housing for the people who make San José work. We can start with using a tool available to us called an Enhanced Infrastructure Financing District that we should deploy city-wide to create more homes affordable to typical workers and families, particularly in our already designated Urban Villages, which were chosen because they are near transit and jobs. These districts require no new taxpayer funds but rather allow investment of future tax growth to be directed to important public purposes, like creating new housing.
3
Cut the red tape and delays on permitting housing.
We still have people who want to build vitally-needed housing stymied by red tape, bureaucratic traps, and endless delays. Enough! If a permit isn’t approved or rejected on legitimate grounds in three months, it should be free. The time for accountability is now.
4
At no cost to taxpayers support non-profit developers who agree to provide affordable housing for our key workers.
By expanding access to lower cost capital we can expand housing opportunities for teachers, nurses, and firefighters. Again, all taxpayer costs can be paid back via future rents.
5
Use technology to move faster on permitting and inspections.
Unnecessary delays cost money and those costs are passed onto homebuyers and renters. We are living in the middle of a technological revolution, and we are right here in the heart of Silicon Valley. We use Zoom to talk with our doctors. We should use it to inspect homes in situations where it makes sense. We use AI to book hotel rooms. We can use it to help cut red tape and identify roadblocks. Let’s use the technology developed here in Silicon Valley to get housing production and permit approvals moving faster.
6
Embrace the backyard cottage revolution.
Building a small backyard cottage is dramatically more affordable than other types of construction because the units are typically smaller, and they can be built in a factory. Mayor Matt Mahan has launched a bold plan to use state resources to provide these new tiny homes at no upfront cost to those who provide a site for them – with taxpayers reimbursed from ongoing rents. Matthew Quevedo supports this breakthrough idea, along with faster permitting, more outreach, and removing remaining barriers to widespread adoption of these new homes that are “affordable by design.” Matthew also supports this plan because it creates that housing we need without fundamentally changing the character of our single-family neighborhoods that are being “lightly densified,” not demolished.
7
Work to pre-approve projects in the Urban Villages and in North San José near jobs to reduce costly delays.
This “pre-entitlement” would gather community input and help us look ahead to where we want to grow, anticipate and plan for obstacles, and then remove them. This will lower the cost of housing construction, creating more affordable homes for renters and homebuyers.
8
Train our young people to help (literally) build a better future.
Matthew wants San José to partner with local school districts (remember shop classes?), local community colleges, construction unions, contractors, and developers to invest more in training a new generation of San José workers who can help end the shortage of skilled construction workers in the homebuilding industry. Training local workers is an investment in our future. Let’s lift up thousands of new young people into these middle class jobs so they can help build tens of thousands of new homes affordable to our residents.
