Representatives of San Francisco and San Mateo County call on Brisbane City Council to put forward a development plan that addresses regional need for housing
San Francisco – Today, Senator Scott Wiener, Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, Assemblymember David Chiu, and Assemblymember Phil Ting released the following statement in advance of Monday evening’s Brisbane City Council meeting on the Baylands Development:
“The Bay Area and California are in this housing crisis for a long list of reasons, but the fundamental issue is that we simply do not have enough housing that our residents can afford. California got here as the result of thousands of decisions, like the one being considered by the Brisbane City Council tonight, where the question was should we build housing and, if so, how much should we build. Too often the answer has been to either build no housing, or to build very little of it.
Cities both large and small can no longer ignore their role in our regional need for more housing. If we had been more proactive in building housing ten years ago, we wouldn’t be in the mess we are in today, and if we don’t start building today, it’s going to be even worse ten years from now. Our housing crisis impacts our residents, our economy, and our environment. The California legislature has been working on a package of bills that will both increase funding for affordable housing and streamline the process for building housing, including affordable housing. These bills are in response to the clear need to change California’s approach to housing, and we are working hard to deliver on these policies. But we also need our local governments to step up and recognize that decisions made by one city impact the entire region.
Moving the Baylands development forward with no housing, or inadequate housing, would be a dramatic lost opportunity to provide housing for thousands of Bay Area residents. By contrast, approving a plan with thousands of homes accessible to public transit would show the kind of local leadership we need if we are going to pull ourselves out of this housing crisis. We urge the Brisbane City Council to put forward a plan that will add significant housing for the Bay Area residents who so desperately need it.”
The Brisbane City Council meets Monday, August 7 at 7:30 PM to determine if the Baylands Development, a 684 acre parcel, will include a Housing Element, which is required for any housing to be included in the development.
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Contacts: Jeff Cretan, (415) 308-6782, jeff.cretan@sen.ca.gov (Wiener)
Judson True, (415) 557-3013, judson.true@asm.ca.gov (Chiu)
Mark Chekal-Bain, (415) 557-2312, mark.chekal-bain@asm.ca.gov (Ting)