An end to unfair housing policy in Berkeley?
City council resolves to end racist, exclusionary zoning
Berkeley just proposed putting an end to single family-housing, and it's national news.
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Berkeley has a lot to be proud of. It’s the birthplace of inventions (like the personal computer), discoveries (like the element Berkelium) and powerful movements (like disability rights activism).
And there are other things that we’re not so proud of, like racist exclusionary housing policies. The Elmwood neighborhood was among the first in the US to zone against multifamily housing. Single-family zoning became the backbone of exclusionary, unsustainable, segregated housing.
What’s up with exclusionary housing?
In a recent op-ed, New York Times columnist David Brooks writes that one way to get “really rich” is to enter a difficult-to-access industry like medicine or law. When you’re protected against lower-priced competition, your value stays high. Another option Brooks presents is to own a home in a city with terribly restrictive housing policies.
“Once you’ve made some money,” Brooks writes, “there’s one more way to get richer. Buy a home in a neighborhood with a lot of zoning restrictions. For example, 84% of the land in Charlotte, North Carolina, and 94% of the land in San Jose, California, is zoned for detached single-family homes. These restrictions keep the supply of housing low and jack up the value of homes for people wealthy enough to already own one.”
That's good for you if you already own such a home or have enough money to buy one. It’s bad for everyone else.
Berkeley’s city council gets it.
Last week, Berkeley’s city council voted unanimously for a resolution to end exclusionary housing.
This is the first step in creating equitable zoning policies and making Berkeley a better place to live.
In an online forum hosted by Berkeley Neighbors for Housing and Climate Action, Vice Mayor Lori Droste, who represents the Elmwood neighborhood, called it a “conversation around flexibility.” Droste noted that in Berkeley, some streets are zoned for single-family homes only while others allow multi-family housing.
Droste said it was important to address the “missing middle” in housing—housing that is affordable to people with moderate incomes—and noted that the conversation about exclusionary zoning will also address other concerns that her constituents have: “What I hear over and over from people is housing affordability, climate change, homelessness, and traffic, and this can touch on all of that…All of that really is related.”
Councilmember Terry Taplin, who represents District 2, sees addressing exclusionary housing policy as a “moral imperative.”
“The legacy of exclusionary zoning,” Taplin said, is “as a tool for racial exclusion. Neighborhoods were engineered in zones to keep out people like me. Not only is it deeply hurtful, it also imposes on me and my colleagues a moral imperative to undo that, to make our city more inclusive.”
Taplin also noted the benefits of multigenerational living, which can be easier for families who are able to subdivide or add to their homes. “There are a lot of folks who are doing what I’m doing,” he said, “which is caring for an elder. By legalizing [ADUs and multifamily homes], we’ll actually be able to accommodate a more diverse array of families in Berkeley.”
Better on so many levels
The city council’s decision to put an end to exclusionary housing policies is huge. When home ownership is more flexible, the whole community benefits.
Housing is more equitable, and neighborhoods are more diverse.
Homeowners can build spaces that allow their loved ones to age in place comfortably and safely, keeping families together longer.
Adding homes to Berkeley means more people can live close to their workplaces, reducing traffic and pollution.
People with moderate incomes can afford to live in great neighborhoods by purchasing a home, adding an ADU, and renting out their extra space.
What does this mean for us?
Combating inequality in housing is kind of our thing. We live to make great neighborhoods more accessible to both homeowners and renters. We love creating homes that help families and improve people’s lives.
As Berkeley and other Bay Area cities work to fight exclusionary housing and make their neighborhoods even better, we’ll be there to help. We'll build more. Design more. Create more.
What does this mean for you?
For homeowners, it means more options and more flexibility. For neighborhoods, it means more diversity and a fighting chance that not everyone in town will be a surgeon or a lawyer.
Thinking of buying a home in a neighborhood you love? You can add an ADU, rent it out, and use the income to pay for both homes. Already own a house? You can add an accessory dwelling and create a home that will support your life and your family’s life for generations to come.
Contact us to get your questions answered and get started on a project that will change everything.
