What Does it Take to Build Housing?

Session 3: How can we change zoning?

We know that housing is unaffordable, with a six-figure income required to afford an average rental apartment in Santa Clara County and a more than $250,000 per year income required to purchase a median-priced home. In 2018, our Lunchtime Forum series dove into the cost of building housing, including the component costs of market-rate and affordable development, the impact of various local government policies on housing prices, and creative solutions and policies. This year, we will take on another key component of the housing production process.

What determines where, when, and how housing actually gets built? Our 2019 Lunchtime Forum series will explore this question. The first session covered where housing gets built, an in-depth discussion of Housing Elements and General Plan process. The second session, delved into the entitlement process, the steps and challenges, as well as possible improvements. In this third session we will discuss single family zoning and housing for the missing middle, looking at recent lessons that could inform how we update zoning to accomodate for different housing types in our existing neighborhods.

Confirmed Panelists:

Framer: Xiomara Cisneros – Bay Area Council, Policy Director

Speaker: Diana O’Dell – City of Redwood City, Principal Planner

Speaker: Karen Parolek, Opticos Design, Principal and CFO

Lunch will be provided