FRIDAY - going to play outside
- Does the middle class life cost more than it used to?
- In Silicon Valley Suburbs, Calls to Limit the Soaring Rents
- 5 things to know about Governor Brown’s proposed housing plan
- Is Airbnb making your rent go up?
- Palo Alto: Housing Authority could try to use eminent domain to retain mobile home park
- Toll Brothers buys big Fremont site near BART, Tesla for 1,000-unit village
- 10 Ways to Embrace a Nook
Enjoy!
Does the middle class life cost more than it used to? - Middle-class life has become 30 percent more expensive in the past 20 years, as the economy has changed dramatically in the past few decades, altering the types of jobs we do, where we live, and what it takes to afford those staples of middle class life. The middle class represents a wide swath of Americans, but it’s not as big as it used to be. In 1971, 70 percent of Americans were in the middle class. Today, it’s down to 50 percent. The U.S. Commerce Department uses the following to define the group: A steady job, owning a home, two cars in the garage, an annual family vacation, the ability to send your kids to college, and a little left over to sock away for retirement.
In Silicon Valley Suburbs, Calls to Limit the Soaring Rents - Economists have an almost universally dim view of rent control because it does nothing to attack the underlying problem here, which is that more people want to live in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley than there are housing units to put them in.
5 things to know about Governor Brown’s proposed housing plan - A $122 billion state budget was approved by Californian legislators this week and housing proved to be an unresolved issue that still lingers due to the potential for $400 million to go toward low-income housing projects. The main snag is that Governor Brown tied those funds to the Streamlining Affordable Housing Bill, which will allow developers to bypass much of the approval process for building new homes. Lawmakers would need to accept this proposal for the $400 million in funds to be made available. But those opposed to the proposal say the governor’s streamlining process threatens to cut residents and neighbors out of the development process.
Is Airbnb making your rent go up? - While rents have gone up steadily in the past few years, the proportion of entire homes occupied much of the year by short-term renters still represents a fraction of the region’s housing inventory. Among Airbnb bookings, roughly 620 countywide were rented earlier this year for more than 140 days, a point at which a dwelling can typically command more revenue as a short-term rental than a long-term one.
Palo Alto: Housing Authority could try to use eminent domain to retain mobile home park - Preserving the mobile home park would permanently retain 117 affordable housing units in the county's stock, contributing to the housing authority's mission of "keeping people in their homes and out of homelessness," Harasz said. "Affordable housing is a public resource," she said. "I think it's very important to the fabric of our community: People need a place to live ... keeping people out of homelessness. This is a community concern."
Toll Brothers buys big Fremont site near BART, Tesla for 1,000-unit village - The 34-acre site — a short distance from the Tesla Motors plant — comes with approvals for roughly 1,000 residential units, ranging from dense apartments to condo flats and townhomes. All told, it’s among the largest housing projects moving forward in Bay Area.
10 Ways to Embrace a Nook - Find creative uses for those cozy spots next to a window, behind a wall or under the stairs. Some of my favorites:
