There really is not that much space to build along Caltrain tracks (total <5 acres per the article). This rule should’ve been planned years ago.
Caltrain officials acknowledged that it might be more profitable to sell off the land to office or hotel developers, but directors said the need for housing — and affordable housing — is paramount.
A Caltrain ride from San Jose to San Francisco costs about $5 per passenger to taxpayers as a direct subsidy. Caltrain would do well to charge full fare from passengers (assuming the Caltrain is a wonderful means of transportation that people will die to travel on) and return the subsidy back to the taxpayers. They should also sell the excess land they have to hotels and Office buildings as mentioned in the article so that the taxpayers do not have to subsidize the Caltrain operations.
The level of subsidy on ACE train is up to 30% or more. ACE train should also do something similar. .
Nobody wants the kind of density you want.
High density creates a lot of problems that make affordable housing seem like a minor issue.
1 Like
Four story is high density? Oh well.
As to whether people want them, let the government get out of the way and see what the market will bear.
There are already talks of bringing congestion pricing in San Francisco. This is not a good sign for USA where there is plenty of land and enterprising people. I am just amazed by the creative ways in which State of California and its various agencies are finding ways to fleece the residents with fees, taxes, or lesser quality of life. Please no angry response if I say “terminal decline” again.
1 Like
What is congestion pricing?
Democrats are known to know how to spend $ but don’t know how to earn.
Avoid the blue state.
Once you earn enough to be financially independent*, RUN!
Poor stay, wealthy run!
*for exceptional talent, change it to wealthiest person or whatever high-water mark.
We have it here on 405. I think 680 has it. There are toll lanes where the price varies based on how busy the highway is. The busier it is the higher the toll. They want to implement it broadly in Seattle while exempting lower income people from it.
Lower income people who drive? Or any cars older than 10 years old will be exempt? How to tell?
They would exempt people below a certain income limit. Those people would get an electronic pass allowing them to use the toll lanes for free. I have no idea how they’d verify that in a state where there’s no state income tax. They’d have to use federal tax returns which creates a whole separate set of issues.
1 Like
2 Likes
Thanks for sharing. This is the kind of article that sends fear through your body. What else could you expect from New Your Times and its support for heavy-handed, we know what is good for you kind of governance. This article is a long and directionless string of words and the author seems not ready to conclude, probably because there is no genuine point to be made that can be taken seriously at the end.
America has a housing crisis. The homeownership rate for young adults is at a multidecade low, and about a quarter of renters send more than half their income to the landlord. Homelessness is resurgent, eviction displaces a million households a year, and about four million people spend at least three hours driving to and from work.
If you are a real estate owner in California, you should be worried about what this article is pointing to.
To help the renters, the state can even confiscate your property and give it to the others. It has happened before in other parts of the world, and it can happen in California too.
Get rid of codes, zoning, bureaucrats and nimbyies. Problem solved.
Not going to happen just to satisfy some control freaks.
Cities can’t stop people camping on the street. What gives them the moral authority to stop private citizens from building whatever they want on their own property?
These are called CC&R. And your right is only good till you do not step on someone else’s right.
Homeless people step on everyone’s rights daily with impunity and the backing of the Supreme Court.
You should also worry about the confiscatory policies of the state. They are controlling your ability to decide rents, screen tenants, right to evict. The day is not too far away when they will take away your property so that they can give it to some poor.
If you own a lot of property, you should be better aware of these threat though they appear remote at this time. There was a time, when rich people worried bad attorneys who would file frivolous lawsuits. Soon the bigger threats will be your city council, your state assembly, and your governor.
1 Like