Joined by panelists Melissa Breach, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at California YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard), Rani Batra, Chair of Piedmont's Housing Advisory Committee and a Piedmont Planning Commissioner, and Gloria Bruce, Executive Director of East Bay Housing Organization, the League of Women Voters of Piedmont held a forum on affordable housing in Piedmont on October 5th.
Melissa began the discussion about the current housing crisis with some hard-hitting stats: 1) California has 25% of the nation's homeless population and only 12% of the nation's total population, 2) we are short 3.5 million homes in California and 3) we are currently building at 1/3 of the rate of the 1980s, which is resulting in an increase in the housing shortage every year. Rani Batra followed, beautifully laying out the use of the Piedmont housing element as a roadmap for housing needs, and presented Piedmont’s RHNA of 587 units for this housing cycle. Gloria Bruce elaborated on how Piedmont can plan for affordable housing by protecting, producing, and preserving housing.
While the housing crisis cannot be fixed solely through market solutions, producing a housing element that will not impede on the development of affordable housing is crucial. As Gloria Bruce laid out, there are three things needed for increased housing: land, resources, and public/political will. By allowing for the legalization of multi-family units, incentives for faster and cheaper production of units, and reducing discretionary approval, Piedmont can take steps toward meeting its affordable housing goals. As community members, we can do our part by making it clear that we are open to inclusionary housing.
Additional Resources:
- Visit Piedmont Is Home for easily accessible information on the City of Piedmont housing policy work.
- Visit California YIMBY to learn more about saying “Yes In My Back Yard”—yes to affordable housing, yes to inclusive, equitable communities, yes to opportunity, and yes to more neighbors!
- Visit East Bay Housing Organizations to learn about their missions to preserve, protect, and create affordable housing opportunities for low-income communities in the East Bay by educating, advocating, organizing, and building coalitions.
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