undefined | Better HN

0 pointszamfi6y ago0 comments

> Housing in Silicon valley doesn't grow at the same rate as number of people coming here

Bingo. And why not?

0 comments

7 comments · 2 top-level

aswanson6y ago· 4 in thread

Existing homeowners don't want their living space turned into downtown Manhattan because there's a temporary exorbitant demand for ad click optimization and pic sharing networks.

zamfiOP6y ago

There's a whole spectrum between single family homes and "Manhattan". It's not a binary!

The Bay Area's population has grown by 8.5% in the last 10 years. [0] Please, that's not "Manhattan". That's one person on your block converting their garage into a rentable unit.

Those "existing homeowners" are really messing things up for everyone because they don't want Bob to turn his garage into a rental? Somehow I think there's more to it than that.

[0]: https://www.kqed.org/news/11741275/map-the-bay-area-leads-ca...

pacala6y ago

Full quote: The population of the nine-county region grew by over 600,000 people since 2010 — a nearly 8.5% increase — outpacing the growth rate in any other part of California, according to U.S. Census Bureau data released Thursday.

600k people is about as much as Seattle proper. Which happens to span 83.94 sq mi. In less than 10 years. That's _a lot_ of construction.

1 more reply

inferiorhuman6y ago

Unfortunately for you San Francisco hasn't been a sleepy little fishing village for nearly 200 years. Its popularity isn't a temporary trend.

Of course I wouldn't mind becoming more like Manhattan in some ways. Compared to how pedestrian hostile the Bay Area is, Manhattan is heaven.

fountainofage6y ago

Then they shouldn't vote in the office space?

inferiorhuman6y ago· 1 in thread

Bingo. And why not?

Because California property owners don't want it to. The artificial scarcity drives up property values. Take a look at Brisbane, they fought residential development tooth and nail claiming that people should just work in Brisbane but live in San Francisco.

KibbutzDalia6y ago

Not true. We have a house and commercial rental property in Sunnyvale California. I’d love to tear down my commercial building and build something with an additional story but zoning won’t allow it. And is welcome all single family zoning being upgraded to 2 family zoning. I’d build a second unit in a heartbeat.

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse