Housing Crisis Update
by Mark Fernwood
Housing Crisis Update 2025
We keep hearing that California has a “housing crisis,” and that there is an acute shortage. CA each year is losing huge NET population, as much as 1M per year. This is cited as due to high costs of everything form housing to gas. Crime has become also a major motive. Obviously, housing is left behind, so how can there be a shortage?
If one goes to an apartment locating web site (like hotpads.com, apartments.com or apartmentfinder.com) one will find many hundreds of empty Bay Area apartments. In a shortage crisis, one should expect only long waiting lists.
To further verify housing availability: Google: “Average Bay Area Vacancy.” You will find this is 4.2%; far from an “crisis of shortage.” 4.2% is considered to be a very healthy stat.
Also claimed is that housing is “too expensive.” Highly desirable areas have always been expensive. Building Industry Associates, which represents contractors and developer’s states, “it costs an average of $500K to develop a new Bay Area housing unit”, so we cannot build our way to “cheap housing!”
Further, it is claimed more housing near jobs will relieve traffic. Why then are massive apartment blocks being forced into suburban communities, like Danville, where there are few if any jobs?
Some believe that those that work in and serve a community should be able to afford to live there. Should those that service the pools and yards of Beverly Hills have an expectation of being able to afford to live there? Some areas have much more affordable housing. Others have median priced housing. There are a few areas with premium housing. Premium and ultra-premium housing is by nature unaffordable to all but the few.
The “Crisis” is being used to justify the reorganizing and compressing of our society. Local zoning control is being taken by the State and unelected regional governments. Historically, local zoning allowed communities to control their future. This will forever ruin many premium communities.
Mark Fernwood
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