Ok, let’s get it done…
Just suspend all zoning laws for 5 years…Like in Houston…high growth max economic activity and huge tax revenues…Whats not to like
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Exactly. Until they lower the fees, there won’t be a building boom or anything that gets built will be expensive. Imagine if they waived all the government fees for new construction. The new construction should create a property tax boom, so charging fees on top of that is crazy. It’s long past time local governments learn how to manage their money. Complaining about 5%+ annual revenue increases is crazy. How many people are getting 5%+ raises at work?
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I am raising my rents 5% because my min wage tenants are getting guaranteed wage increases till 2022…$1/h per year…more than 5%
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Local cities will not like it because they make so much money off developers.
Houston got pummeled by the nature last year, they said get the hell away from restrictions, but not “mister government, give me a hand out again because we blew it”.
Meanwhile, my area is getting many businesses coming over, I kind of woke up yesterday to the fact that empty commercial units were filled up all the sudden. Cheap area to do business, rapid transit revamped the Alum Rock area giving house prices a bump.
Bad thing is East San Jose…buahaaaaaaaaaaaaa! 
People forget 90% of our housing stock was built without all the codes and restrictions in the last 30 years, that were mainly designed to stop development…
How many of you live in a pre 1970 structure? If you feel unsafe move…Otherwise why not roll back all rules to 1970 and get rid of nimby zoning. Exorbitant fees and useless bureaucrats…Houston had a flooding problem…fine don’t relax restrictions in flood zones…Everywhere else…build baby build…
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My townhome in San Jose was built in 1981 and was fairly well constructed. The one I am living in now was built in 2004 and was built with cheaper materials. A good example is about three weeks ago I was leaving the house and the front doorknob came off in my hand so I had to get a screwdriver and put it back together. I few days later the same thing happened to me with another door. I ended up having to check all the doors in the house and they were all the same cheap assembly. I had to tighten them all up to prevent the same thing from happening again. First time in my life that has happened.
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Buy some new door lock sets…Houses fall apart…new codes just make houses cost more…most new rules just make certain industries rich…like co monitors…add little value…
Generally speaking of course, my understanding is that the woods of “today” that are used in homes are not as good as those used in old homes. New is not always better…
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Speaking of my area, they made us suffer of a year or two with blocking here and there. Only for a god damn bus to run in the middle lane, made specially for them, every 12 minutes.
Then, they block our street exit.
Then, they build these weird stop stations where if its raining you get wet. The ceiling is pointing upwards, not downwards. Yeah, about 2 miles took them years and pain in our backs.
Now, they are cutting and changing the tubing for the water recycling project. The streets around McKee and Alum Rock are getting all wounded, it looks like Frankenstein skin all over.
Suspend zoning will never make it out of committees. Even Weiner’s bill many said is too radical. Over-the-hill NIMBY’s aged 40+ have a lot of political power.
Go Weiner go!
Agreed, but God gave us termites to level the playing field 
Wood capability has been downgraded to allow for the changes…Many new homes use 2x6 exterior studs…Seismically and foundations stuctures are better but earthquake safety is still only maybe 50% better…Besides there is always a possible earthquake that could knock down everything…Problem with new codes is they make costs double and safety goes up 5%…very little cost benefit…In fact many feel safer in there 1930s Sunset track houses…lol
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So is it ok to feel safer in the 1930s houses?
My concerns are also off-gassing with the newer materials (30s homes are done offgassing whatever is in there), and that water and humidity damage is more likely with the non-solid wood-based materials that are used nowadays.
Pretty much any sfh is safe. If off gassing bothers you… don’t buy new. I hardly ever specified non solid wood. But off gassing is not as big a deal as you think. Volitale hydrocarbons off gas quickly
I concur!!!
Wiener’s housing bill getting a lot of press. Even Big Bro, all snug in his Saratoga digs, asked me if this means we can build up in Chinatown (the answer is yes if passed, and please open up the pocket book…)
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You guys complain too much.
In 1976 we had an earthquake in Guatemala. 25K+ dead.
Most of the dead were due to the houses being built by mud adobe.
You can complain about regulations and whatnot, some don’t make sense, some are stupid, some are valid, but for the most part you and I need them.
Imagine anybody making their own rules about the size, height of their monster home covering the view to the ocean from that beautiful ranch you have on the beaches of Idaho? 
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Complaining is what we do here…First Amendment…the right to bitch about our government…whether it listens or not…I have seen the building code rules quadrupled in 40 years…All I see is more expensive housing, more homeless and more anxiety…These rules have provided no comfort and maybe a marginally safer house for the few that can afford it…
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