Bay Area homeowner is the face of California’s latest housing drama

Post by jeffbee » Thu, Feb 16, 2023, 11:43 PM UTC

shuckles wrote: post #95

jeffbee wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that is current law or jurisprudence. There is a bill introduced in this session that will make any project consequent to an adopted general, area, or specific plan be "not a project" under CEQA. But that's not where we are now, which is why cities have to EIR their general plans and then every project has another EIR. Personally, I think they should just write down that anything inside the boundary of…

Yes it is: private projects are only subject to CEQA if permits are discretionary cf https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21723 . In San Francisco and some neighboring cities, every permit is discretionary either directly or through ambiguity ( https://law.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk10866/files/medi... ), but it doesn’t have to be that way.

Post by chung8123 » Thu, Feb 16, 2023, 11:47 PM UTC

astrange wrote: post #122

gameman144 wrote: post #121

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The idea that the reason something was made defines its current reason for existing seems demonstrably wrong, though. Consider the microwave magnetron: invented to mess with radar, but now in every kitchen. Maybe the reasons haven't changed in this instance, but holding that as a rule seems pretty incorrect.

Luckily we don't have to argue about abstractions since we can just go look at land use. I do think a lot of people want to keep single family zoning because they think it makes their properties more valuable but 1. historical segregation is part of that and 2. if your home price goes up, that only makes you richer as long as you don't want to buy any other homes that've also gone up.

Post by nemo44x » Thu, Feb 16, 2023, 11:50 PM UTC

pwinnski wrote: post #127

nemo44x wrote: post #103

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No it’s just completely untrue. This is a common tactic today to say something was created for purposes so the entire concept is bad naturally. See how activists say policing was invented to catch slaves or some ridiculous claim. There’s a bunch of others.

Yes, it is absolutely ridiculous that slave patrols existed and formed the basis for later police departments in the south. It is also ridiculous that labor-busting squads existed in the north, which formed the basis for later police departments in the north. The history is there, it is what it is, as ridiculous as that is. You might argue that modern police have far outgrown their origins, and then it would be up to…

Post by jojobas » Thu, Feb 16, 2023, 11:54 PM UTC

astrange wrote: post #141

rsync wrote: post #136

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"Residential-only zoning is "the bad kind of zoning"." I wish I could mind-meld with you and transmit the memories and experiences of growing up in a residential area with no zoning. You know that sci-fi trope where the empath gets the memory dump and breaks away screaming and crying because they can't handle the trauma that comes through ? It would be like that. You think you'll get cute shops and pop-ups and deligh…

I've been to Japan (+ several other countries that aren't the US). It's pretty nice there. As to whether or not zoning laws are what prevent people from owning horses, that's not clear to me. But a law saying you can't build a bookstore or apartment on the lot doesn't seem very related.

Post by lamontcg » Thu, Feb 16, 2023, 11:58 PM UTC

rsync wrote: post #136

astrange wrote: post #58

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Residential-only zoning is "the bad kind of zoning". It wasn't invented to keep factories away from homes; it was /literally/ invented in Berkeley to stop Chinese immigrants from being able to afford homes by running laundry businesses out of them.

"Residential-only zoning is "the bad kind of zoning"." I wish I could mind-meld with you and transmit the memories and experiences of growing up in a residential area with no zoning. You know that sci-fi trope where the empath gets the memory dump and breaks away screaming and crying because they can't handle the trauma that comes through ? It would be like that. You think you'll get cute shops and pop-ups and deligh…