Editorial: Rebuild Santa Rosa the right way

[yuiyoshida]

California’s most destructive wildfires caused tragic deaths and widespread displacement in Wine Country. Unless local leaders move quickly, it could also make California’s housing crisis far, far worse.


The Wine Country fires this month destroyed thousands of homes. The damage was particularly extensive in Santa Rosa, a once-affordable enclave that lost a full 5 percent of its housing stock. The horrible economics of disaster practically prescribe a difficult future for the residents of Santa Rosa — higher home prices, higher rents and a long rebuilding process.

“It’s very, very tough,” said Oscar Wei, a senior economist with California Association of Realtors. “Displaced homeowners will need a place to stay, and so will renters, and the supply of rental properties has gone down.”

There have already been scattered stories about enormous spikes in rental prices, which spurred both the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors and the Santa Rosa City Council to vote for tighter rules against gouging, or raising prices by more than 10 percent.

“I think raising the rent on someone because you can, due to an emergency like this, is predatory behavior,” said Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Coursey.

more...
http://www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/editorials/article/Editorial-Rebuild-Santa-Rosa-the-right-way-12310322.php

[riversedge]

1. I hope with renewables and citizen friendly environment

[HeartachesNhangovers]

2. Probably the major cause of housing unaffordability

in California is that, although cities and counties are all required to have a plan to allow the construction of certain numbers of housing units every year, these guidelines are not enforceable in any way, and most of the coastal cities do everything they can to control rather than promote development. This happens because existing property owners don't want any construction that might reduce their own property values (such as apartment buildings or super-small houses), and they pressure local officials to have zoning requirements that maintain the status quo.