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The City Courtesans -- er, City Council -- prostituted themselves to the real estate industry again today (Nov. 6) under the guise of providing affordable housing. Councilmember Donna Frye, the only member to vote against the density bonus measure, argued that the real estate industry-backed plan will knock community planning groups and the people out of key decisions. The arrangement may open the door to breaking the 30 foot height limitation, for example. Basically, the law gives developers who provide some affordable housing units in a big project the ability to break current density restrictions. But the bill gives developers as much incentive to build moderate income housing as low income housing, says engineer Katheryn Rhodes. "So why would they make less money with low income housing?" she asks. More projects would be deemed ministerial, thus bypassing council and the voters, says Rhodes. Also, developers would be able to dodge mandates of the California Environmental Quality Act. Knocking out input from community planning groups and the voters is what the real estate industry has wanted for some time.
The City Courtesans -- er, City Council -- prostituted themselves to the real estate industry again today (Nov. 6) under the guise of providing affordable housing. Councilmember Donna Frye, the only member to vote against the density bonus measure, argued that the real estate industry-backed plan will knock community planning groups and the people out of key decisions. The arrangement may open the door to breaking the 30 foot height limitation, for example. Basically, the law gives developers who provide some affordable housing units in a big project the ability to break current density restrictions. But the bill gives developers as much incentive to build moderate income housing as low income housing, says engineer Katheryn Rhodes. "So why would they make less money with low income housing?" she asks. More projects would be deemed ministerial, thus bypassing council and the voters, says Rhodes. Also, developers would be able to dodge mandates of the California Environmental Quality Act. Knocking out input from community planning groups and the voters is what the real estate industry has wanted for some time.