County is begining to work on affordable housing

The Daily Journal/Bill Silverfarb, 3/4/15.  "Tiny houses on table to solve housing crisis:  Board of Supervisors to discuss ways to help lack of affordability."

Simple row houses, nice design
if you know which building is yours

Construction craine delivers housing unit,
bolted, utilities hooked up, got housing

"Housing officials are recommending the Board of Supervisors consider tiny houses as a way to solve the area’s housing crisis. The board will meet in a special study session to consider the proposal and others including rent stabilization, tenants rights and amending zoning codes to ease construction of affordable housing.

Some solutions to affordable housing have been on the table for years, said Supervisor Dave Pine, but the idea of building tiny houses is a new one that should be explored.“ ....The county has contributed to the development of 1,554 affordable housing units in the past 10 years and has granted developers density bonuses to build affordable housing units.

Supervisors Don Horsley and Warren Slocum are heading the special study session March 17 that will also address promoting second units and establishing a countywide program to assist renters. .... The county just created a Blue Ribbon Task Force on Housing to address affordability issues after discussing rent stabilization during a mid-year budget update. It is set to convene in the coming months.  Read article.

Related (somewhat) -  CNN Money/Jullian Eugenios, 2/27/15, "The answer to New York City's housing crisis: smaller apartments." The apartments will be for one to two people and range in size from 250 to 350 square feet. New York isn't exactly known for huge apartments, but these units are so small that the project received a one-time exemption from city zoning codes to make the building possible."

Note photographs:  single row, tiny houses from Imgarcade.com; stacked unit structure in Manhattan, New York from the above related CNN Money article.   

Posted by Kathy Meeh