I can't believe this can happen to a teacher who also does work for the community all for greed. It's terrible what is happening with the rents in the community. Landlords are just on the bandwagon raping renters who can't afford it. They should be ashamed and yet there is the City of Mountain View is just out to basically to cater only to the Google, Facebook clientele only. Now what low rent apartments are let no they are kicking out teachers and other lower income people to make way for the $4,000-8,000 dollar rents, just despicable.

This is terrible but there may be a solution. Are 3 bedroom house rentals rising as much as these $8000 2 bedroom apartments?

[Post removed due to disrespectful comment]

Landlords are business people like any other; they have made investments and they are in the game to make money. They also pay taxes on their profits, which pays for services we all use. Calling them greedy solves nothing.

What we can do is change zoning to allow for more housing supply and more walkable neighborhoods. More supply means lower prices. Also, keeping density artificially low by government fiat puts a damper on economic growth, which we need if our kids are going to have a bright future and if we are going to be able to pay off our debts.

What a minute here. This eviction thing is effecting lots of people here, doesn't matter if you are native or non native. Home prices have risen leaving young buyers out or ones who haven't landed such a great job.

Soon you won't get people to come here and do normal jobs.

DEVELOPERS WORK BEST WHITH HIGH PERCENTAGE OF LOW INCOME PEOPLE TO BUILD BUILD BUILD BUILD MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
LOW WAGES PEOPLE +. HIGH DEMAND OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. =. ONLY WAY TO MAKE POSSIBLE DEVELOPERS DREAM DAY (with Gov. Money to Build Build Build and SEGREGATE THE POOR LIVING IN BUILDING WITH POOR PEOPLE AND THE RICH ON BETTER NEIGHBORHOODS. FINALLY, EAST TYPE OF NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE WEST RIGHT HERE NOW IN MOUNTAIN VIEW, OR SHOULD WE SAY CONCRETE VIEW.

This really sucks. I'm one of the "techies", and we have no trouble making ends meet here (yet), but with every passing year I'm more and more scared by the thought of raising my kids in the kind of community where what is described in the article is the norm. I know how the market works, so I'm not going to wring my hand over "greedy landlords", but the net result is still terrible, with very real people suffering greatly, and having their lives turned around, or maybe even truly ruined. Think about it, every one of you who has enough now to go to bed at night feeling safe and happy - how would you feel if it was slipping away and there was little you could do about it? How would you feel if you had nowhere to turn to and were surrounded by those who had more and didn't care?

Been here for 16 years now, lived through two booms and two busts, but averaging it all out I am now convinced we've started to undermine our success from the inside. Unless we have some kind of drastic changes in local government, zoning laws, and tech industry involvement in solving our problems at the regional level (all seem very unlikely right now), the reckoning may come sooner than we think - at the very least another bust, probably more. We're not New York, LA, or Chicago. I don't think we have enough physical space or a transportation network to grow and ebb more steadily and absorb these booms and busts organically. We need plans and systemic changes, and we don't really have any viable ones. I sure hope I'm wrong about my predictions, but I feel very uneasy going to bed tonight.

AK - You said it well.

There are two factors that drive up land values. One is the increase in demand. The other is the increase in the allowable building density. If the entire city is redeveloped according to current standards, then Mountain View will be home to 500,000 people, presumably sucking away all the growth in many nearby cities.

What happens is that when you can put 200 apartments on a plot of land that formerly was limited to just 50, then the land becomes more valuable. It may not become 4 times as valuable but we have seen an actual doubling in land value over not too many years. This raises the value of housing single family, condo, or apartment. There is incentive to tear down the cheaper housing and replace it with more expensive options. So where you had 50 $3000 apartments you wind up with 200 $6000 apartments. How does this help affordable housing?

First people just do move here because of views or mountains, work. All these tech people are coming here for work that is being created by whatever tech thing is selling.

We have created to many jobs then housing, rents and home prices rise. Something like over 5,000 jobs have been created, don't count the jobs already here.

Samsung is building a office campus for 1200 employees. Moffet Towers is expanding, makes sense to build housing.

Dear Neighbors & Friends,
Neighbors Helping Neighbors has quite a lot of data just based on those hundreds of middle income ($65k to $30k) Palo Alto and some Mtn View residents on our rosters. In addition to those who were housed middle income but now are midddle and low income unhoused. Too many of our upper middle income residents at $65k can no longer afford to pay market rents and their basic needs (food, medications and transporation) in Santa Clara or San Mateo counties.
Its heart breaking to witness our middle income working neighbors become vehicle dwellers. Currently, we serve 60+ vehicle dwellers. But we are aware of 200 not yet on our rosters. Shockingly, there is a significant portion of vehicle dwellers with schoolchildren. We have recently collaborated with PAUSD to provide outreach to these displaced families.
We have programs that include some alternative measures like no/low cost shared housing networks to help keep some of these families and individuals (majority middle income) housed. But we are now being savotaged by continuing escalating rents and cost of basic needs. It's really a financial tsunami that isn't subsiding.

We can't give up hope. The answer really needs to be that everyone from product mfgs, food producers and landlords lower their expectations and prices.
If you know the lady (part time teacher) from this article or anyone else who is struggling please have them contact us.
Lastly, Mr. DeBolt if you are interested, I have more to say about alternative measure our cities, businesses, residents and neighbors in need can implement now to keep too many more of our residents from falling through the cracks and gaps.
Kindly,
Caryll-Lynn Taylor
Exec. Director & Food Programs Chair
NeighborsHelpingNeighbors2013@gmail.com
Phone: 650-283-0270
P.O. BOX 113
Palo Alto, CA 94302

Web Link

Dear Friends & Neighbors,
          Neighbors Helping Neighbors has quite a lot of data just based on the hundreds of middle income ($65k to $30k) Palo Alto and some Mtn View residents on our rosters. In addition to those who were stable housed middle income but now are midddle and low income unhoused. Too many of our upper middle income residents at $65k can no longer afford to pay market rents and their basic needs (food, medications and transporation) in Santa Clara or San Mateo counties.
         Its heart breaking to witness our middle income working, unemployed, students & retired senior neighbors become vehicle dwellers.
Currently, we serve 60+ vehicle dwellers. But we are aware of 200 not yet on our rosters. Shockingly, there is a significant portion of vehicle dwellers with schoolchildren. We have recently collaborated with PAUSD to provide outreach to these displaced families.
         We have programs that include some alternative measures like no/low cost shared housing networks to help keep some of these families and individuals (majority middle income) housed. But we are now being savotaged by continuing escalating rents and cost of basic needs. It's really a financial tsunami that isn't subsiding.

         We can't give up hope. The answer really needs to be that everyone from product mfgs, food producers and landlords lower their expectations and prices.
         If you know anyone who is struggling please have them contact us.
NeighborsHelpingNeighbors2013@gmail.com
Phone: 650-283-0270
P.O. BOX 113
Palo Alto, CA 94302

Web Link