Abe-Koga is correct that adding to the cost of houses (anything, really) will add to their sales prices. Others are also correct: High demand for both homes and apartments adds to their sales prices.

On the other hand, a glut of housing will lead to reduced prices.

I agree with the idea of raising affordable housing fees, even though developers will increase their sales prices, because it is a rational way to get the necessary additional money to pay for more affordable housing.

And the city needs more housing of all kinds.

It's important to realize there is no longer any room in Mountain View for enough single family detached houses to bring down the cost of such housing. Almost all new housing will necessarily be high-rise apartments or condos. And, under the General Plan nearly all of that new housing will have to be in the General Plan's change areas--excluding North of Bayshore, unfortunately.

The City Council made a big mistake when it changed the General Plan for North of Bayshore to eliminate additional housing.

Affordable means a one bedroom for a grand or less. That's what is needed, but we'll never get it. Not in this town or any other in the Bay Area. Sadistic greed is all we truly have.

I would like for the council to give a clear definition of "affordable" is not really clear affordable for who? What parameters the city council uses to define Affordable ?

Affordable housing means subsidized housing. It means someone has to be taxed to provide for these huge subsidies. The impact of the fees is to reduce the supply of potential housing, which makes it more expensive to buy new or used housing. Council members are clueless about the impact. There is also the monitoring problem. Once you win the lottery and get selected to rent/buy a subsidized unit, you get the subsidy for life regardless if your economic situation improves.

Buyers are restricted from reselling their subsidized unit at market price which is why the city took a loss on the unit they had to buy back.

Right, like lilly said, affordable is a relative term, affordable for whom?

More taxes will only mean higher prices. The new building developments go for 1 million and up. For 1 million you will be paying 11k of property tax per year. I don't know about you but I for one do not want to spend 3-4 months of my pay just to pay property taxes. Property tax is the most expensive item any new homeowner needs to deal with.

What is affordable housing:

It's determined by how much you make as a percentage of the Area Median Income (AMI)

People at the lower end generally might qualify for supportive or public housing; those in the 50–80% AMI for non-profit rental housing, and those at 100% AMI might be candidates for affordable homeownership.

The categories for low income are:
Extremely Low (30% of AMI)
Very Low (50% of AMI)
Low (80% of AMI)
Median (100% of AMI)

For a family of four, with an AMI of $93,500, it's
Extremely low: $28,050
Very Low: $46,750
Low: $65,350
Median: $93,500

Source: California Department of Housing and Community Development, 2012

Where in God's plan or our Constitution does it say that I/We who got an education, played by the rules, did our best to move up should now have to pony up and pay for housing for those who didn't do any of the above. If one can't afford to live here, move to North Dakota, Tennesee or any other place where you can afford to live. Jeeze....

Bye George