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| Pescadero Foundation nears design of affordable housing By Greg Thomas [ greg@hmbreview.com } Published/Last Modified on Wednesday, July 1, 2009 3:15 PM PDT As county housing planners contemplate growth rates 15 years down the line, they see demand for housing significantly outpacing supply, especially among low-income households, a group already underserved. That’s one conclusion of a 2007 housing needs study, which points out a severe deficit of affordable housing for families earning less than the median income – pegged at $85,500 in 2005. An inadequate supply of housing, coupled with the down economy, is putting thousands in the county “in jeopardy of becoming homeless,” says San Mateo County Department of Housing Policy and Development Manager Janet Stone. The pinch is particularly bruising to households pulling in less than $51,000 a year. A 10-year-old South Coast housing needs assessment revealed a median income of $38,000 a year. The true costs of living on the coast are pricing out residents across the county, Stone says. One leg of a cohesive solution may be to encourage affordable housing developments. “Basically, on the coast, we’re going to need between 1,700 and 2,900 new housing units (between now and 2025),” Stone said. “How many of those are going to be affordable units, we don’t know. Right now, supply is going to serve only the needs of people at the upper income categories. It’s a problem.” Recognizing an imperative need to provide affordable housing as a means of reinforcing and nurturing social fabric on a local level, three South Coast women are pushing forward a low-income housing project in Pescadero. Lynne Bowman, Catherine Peery and Ginny Nile are the pillars of the Workforce Housing Organization, an offshoot of the Pescadero Foundation focused on establishing suitable, reasonably priced homes on the South Coast. Toward the end of June, the organization received a $30,000 stimulus grant to continue environmental studies at the “Warheit site” in Pescadero. The trio is proposing a 14-home, ranch-style development adjacent to the Pescadero Transfer Station on Bean Hollow Road, complete with solar cell installations and other eco-friendly amenities. Bowman, Pescadero Foundation president, says the move is intended to safeguard against inflating housing costs and maintain the character of the South Coast community. “We’ve lost friends and neighbors to housing costs … We’re doing this because we don’t want things to change in Pescadero,” Bowman said. The organization hopes to wrap studies in a few weeks, at which point members will search for a developer to design and oversee construction. Habitat For Humanity is considering handling management tasks – such as finding and securing prospective residents – but has not committed, Bowman said. The organization has been steadily inching the project forward for six years, and will continue advocating for low-cost homes and pursuing grant funds when it’s finished. “Housing here is more critical than ever,” Bowman said. “Anyone making a reasonable income in this area cannot afford a home. The only homes for sale are far out of the reach of a teacher, a park ranger or someone working at a grocery store (and) most of our workforce.” Bowman says high prices drive away people who would otherwise settle down in the area and contribute to the community, such as people with children, Sheriff’s deputies, waitresses and teachers. Pescadero Middle School teacher Pat Talbot has seen that scenario unfold countless times in her 23 years living and teaching on the South Coast. She says the lack of affordable housing creates a tall monetary hurdle for prospective residents and that is stifling the vibrancy of the community. “Friends that visit, and people looking for houses here – their comments are always the same. They’d love to live here, but they can’t afford it. The desire is great. The prices are too high,” Talbot said. Talbot says expensive shelter and few nearby alternatives keep a sizeable chunk of the workforce at bay, forcing workers to commute from Santa Cruz and the Peninsula. The distance is a major contributor to high turnover in teachers and school staff, she says, which takes a toll on South Coast students. “People haven’t minded (the commute), but when (a job) comes up that’s closer, they’ve tended to take it … and that’s hard. There’s value in consistency (at schools),” she said. “As a staff, you build a program and you continually improve on it. When you have to take steps back to retrain everyone, you’re not growing.” |