Redwood City Housing and Transportation
Jul 13, 2015
Panel
Moderator: Jessica MargolinAdina Levin, Friends of CaltrainDiana Reddy, Peninsula Interfaith ActionJoshua Hugg, San Mateo County Housing Leadership Council
plus: material from Egon Terplan, SPUR
Quick poll RentsKnow somebody who had to move - housing costKnow people crowded in a house?Use a bicycle for transportation (sometimes)Use transit for transportation (sometimes)Car-freeLess than one car per adultConcerned about parking when buildings open?
Adding way more jobs than housing
2013 Bay Area jobs and housing114,000 new jobs< 8,000 new housing units
The most well-off new people outbid existing residents...
and there are fewer middle-income jobs
Nearly 40% of jobs pay less than $18 per hour
For every new high-tech job there are 4 other support jobs - Bay Area Council
Leading to in-commuting & congestion61% of workers in San Mateo County commute from outside of the County!
…& require a lot of land for parking
● housing price includes parking whether you drive or not
● land that could be housing
● if everyone drives, parking crunch
Car commuting adds to cost of livingSmall sedan - Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, Honda Civic Gas, maintenance, tires: 16.3 cents per mileTotal cost per year ( 15,000 miles/year): $6,957
Medium sedan - Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Toyota Camry Gas, maintenance, tires: 19.1 cents per mileTotal cost per year (15,000 miles/year) $8,839
SUV - Ford Explorer, Nissan Pathfinder Gas, maintenance, tires: 23.8 cents Total cost per year (15,000 miles/year): $11,039http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-much-does-it-cost-to-own-a-car-in-2014/
www.bayareavision.org/pda/
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Plan Regionally, Implement Locally
Regional strategy: coordinate land use, transit
Cities invest in less driving...Programs to reduce vehicle trips & parking● Transportation Management Association
(typically nonprofit)● Shuttles, transit pass, carshare,
carpool/vanpool more● Funded by developments, employers,
parking revenues, grants, etc● Data and reporting
Established Developing
...setting goals to reduce driving, support alternatives
Mountain View sets “mode share” goals for North Bayshore where Google is...
Median Rent for 1-Bedroom Apartment$2,352
Hourly Income to Afford$45.25
Median Rent for 2-Bedroom Apartment$2,648
Hourly Income to Afford$50.92
Who can afford today’s rents?
Retail sales person $13 per hourAuto mechanic $25 per hourParamedic $21 per hourPreschool teacher $18 per hourHome health aide $12 per hour
Compare to salaries...
Shortfall of affordable housing in SMC
Shortfall of 23,775 homes for low-income households in San Mateo County
88% of very low-incomehouseholds in SMC spend more than 30% of income on rent.
SOURCE: CHPC Analysis of 2007-2011 CHAS dataSOURCE: NLIHC Analysis of 2012 American Community Survey PUMS data
Jobs housing balance & fit worsening overall
● 2000 (dotcom boom)○ Redwood City had an estimated 62,000 jobs and
57,607 employed residents○ 1.1 jobs per employed resident.
● 2011○ RWC had 53,400 jobs & 42,100 employed residents○ 1.3 jobs per employed resident○ 5.81 low-income jobs for every unit affordable to a
low-income worker (UC Davis)
What RWC has been doing...+ More than 2500 housing units and 740K square feet of
office (~3,000 jobs) in the pipeline or under construction+ Much development near walkable downtown w/ transit+ Managing parking
- Weak affordability policy → Almost no new affordable housing created within downtown project area recently
- No tenant protection policies- No goals (yet) to reduce car trips
What can Redwood City do? Community Benefits Workshop:
Wednesday, January 14th, 7:00 PM, Main Library● Contributions from developers to fund community needs● Affordable housing funding + land banking● Invest in reducing driving (transportation demand
management)
Other city and county choices
Redwood City Specific Plans - El Camino Real● Zone for housing in plan areas● Monitor jobs/housing balance and
affordability fit● Transportation and parking policies
supporting less driving, more affordabilitySan Mateo County affordable housing policy