A new study in San Mateo County by affordable housing and transit advocates concludes what members of the home building industry have been saying for years: Under-producing housing near where people work forces people to drive greater distances each day to their jobs and generates more traffic gridlock. A news story in the East Bay Times last week read, “Many cities and their residents have fought new development because they are ‘really concerned about traffic,’ said Evelyn Stivers, executive director of the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo. But, she added, ‘not building housing really causes traffic problems.’ ” Stivers’ group joined with TransForm, a transit advocacy organization, to do the study in San Mateo County, where one new home was built for every 19 jobs created between 2010 and 2015. Experts say a healthy balance is about 1.5 jobs per housing unit. As the East Bay Times notes, the county is home to Facebook, Oracle, Genentech and other tech giants, and encompasses some of the wealthiest communities in the United States. Despite the county’s wealth, its median annual income of $118,400 is still less than one-third of the annual salary needed to purchase its median priced home of $1.6 million with a 10 percent down payment. Click HERE to view “Moving San Mateo County Foward: Housing and Transit At A Crossroads.”
