Opinion: Families and Homes neighborhood group says SJ's "Missing Middle" plans open up a Pandora's box of problems

 

John Flaxman Jr., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

 

On August 18th, San Jose City Council is considering approving the Planning Commission’s proposal for upzoning of the whole city, in which historic single-family-home zoning will give way to high-density, multi-story, multi-unit zoning, with by-right development and no parking requirements. Some of F&H's key concerns: 

  • Chaotic, runaway development: 

    The plan will allow a developer to build 12-14-16 units (depending on lot size), 3-story apartment building anywhere with zero parking requirements, or neighbor feedback as all public hearings will be eliminated. Density will be increasing fourfold and under California law downzoning will not be allowed in future. 

  • Missing Middle will not increase home ownership: 

    Proposed change supports investors building for large investors. SB 9 (what we have now--4 units per lot by right) is more conducive to home ownership than proposed change. 

  • Missing Middle will not lower the cost of housing. 

    Every story added increases the cost of building. A city economic study in 2021 (report starts on pg. 20) documented that four and eight plex units per lot do NOT make housing more affordable. Basically, each unit = same price as replaced single-family-home.

  • Won't solve housing shortall.

    Missing Middle housing city-wide is not required to achieve RHNA housing goals: San Jose is supposed to build 62,000 housing units by 2031--which can be done with the existing General Plan 2040 which allows for a population increase of 400,000 people within planned areas near transit. 

    Read more: https://www.familieshomessj.org/

Follow Opportunity Now on Twitter @svopportunity

We prize letters from our thoughtful readers. Typed on a Smith Corona. Written in longhand on fine stationery. Scribbled on a napkin. Hey, even composed on email. Feel free to send your comments to us at opportunitynowsv@gmail.com or (snail mail) 1590 Calaveras Ave., SJ, CA 95126. Remember to be thoughtful and polite. We will post letters on an irregular basis on the main Opp Now site.

christopher escher