FACT - BMR on evelyn/franklin has lowered property values.

@DCS - We've seen your posts before on threads related to affordable housing in Mountain View. What factual evidence do you have to support your claim? As I recall, it's the typical "a couple of buyers who came by my unit and heard about the BMR development, walked away and didn't make an offer" claim. Well, if that's not anecdotal (as opposed to factual) evidence, I don't know what is.

@DCS, why don't you pull up the zillow property value graph for one or more of the properties in question, and see if there's an appreciable change in the valuation curve after BMR housing was built. And then share the links to Zillow with us, so we can see the evidence.

BTW you should also share the links even if they don't support your hypothesis, in the spirit of integrity.

We've all heard the term 'NIMBY', hurled as an insulting label against anyone opposing any socially correct but undesirable project. Ponder one thing: Those responsible for these attrocities are the first ones whispering 'NIMBY' when they place them somewhere other than their own neighborhoods. Or maybe they're immune, living in nice neighborhoods, destined to remain blightless forever. If no one wants it nearby, might be just a bad idea.

@Steve - Interesting that you bring up an objection to the use of the term NIMBY as an 'insulting label' when no one before you used this term, either in the article or the comment thread.

Also interesting that you object to people tossing around one term (NIMBY) as an 'insulting label', then in the same posting refer to affordable housing developments as 'attrocities' [sic]. I'm sure the developmentally disabled individuals who hopefully will find new homes in the proposed First Community Housing development love the fact that you're calling their future home an 'atrocitiy.'

Perhaps you should attend one of the civility roundtables that the City has been holding and something might rub off...

As a victim of previous city-sponsored programs, I feel comfortable calling them attrocities. I have personally been called a 'NIMBY'. The term may be out of date, but the concept remains. I fully support efforts to help disabled persons whatever their situation. That project is only one of the three approved. Time will tell how it impacts the surrounding neighborhood. As for subsidized housing in general, ask the citizens whose neighborhoods have been so graced how their quality of life has fared. If a project has to be dumped on someone, maybe it isn't such a great thing.

Actual offers were rescinded after disclosure of BMR housing and the selling price lowered as a direct result of that.

In a tried and true phrase... "There goes the neighborhood."

The city council says residents making less than 60% of the median income, which is about 20% of us, 'need' government run housing. The money to eventually take over this fifth of our housing stock is collected by making all housing more expensive - that's right, the city makes housing more expensive so they can 'claim' they are making it cheaper!

Housing is expensive because supply is not meeting demand. Naturally developers would want to build more housing to make money by meeting demand, BUT the city says NO - they say: if you want to build housing you need to give us lots of money in housing development taxes. A few developers pay the tax, but most build office or commercial space instead.

So today, even though there are vacant office buildings everywhere, developers build more offices, while the city council hands over tens (soon hundreds) of millions of dollars to their 'cozy' out-of-town developer.

The system is messed up. Some of us have spoken up, but more need to.

Is the Old Middlefield/Rengstorff project going to displace Taqueria La Bamba as well as La Costena?

My fantasy is to someday build BMR housing for "extremely low income" people right next door to all the city council members who advocate for BMR housing and their supporters.

I own a $2m house that's next door to a white trash, BMR family. Won't make that mistake again.