Los Gatos Weekly-Times Editorials Studio apartments make good sense In Los Gatos, everyone talks about affordable housing, but no one does anything about it. Last week, though, it looked as if someone was actually going to do something constructive. The town has worked for two years with the highly regarded Community Housing Developers on 12 studio apartments on an odd-shaped lot between the corporation yard and a PG&E substation, just a short distance from Highway 17. It seemed an ideal way for the town to put its money where its mouth is--and it was ready to do so in the form of more than $400,000 from various funding sources. Those who study housing issues--from the League of Women Voters to the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group--were enthused about the proposal and turned out in force to show their support. But three planning commissioners took issue with the site's location, saying it was too isolated; there were objections as well to the location's potential for noise. By changing her vote from yes to no, Marcia Jensen broke the 3-3 deadlock, giving the developer a denial and the opportunity to appeal to the Town Council. Let's hope if the proposal gets to the council that it won't get bogged down in pangs of conscience about the site not being as desirable as some in Los Gatos. Los Gatos has done a good job requiring developers to include below-market units in planned developments. That strategy allows some families who would otherwise not be able to buy a home in Los Gatos to do so. But it's not a strategy that helps single people find rental housing in the community. Probably no one would choose the Miles Avenue location to build a million-dollar house. That doesn't mean it's an undesirable location for studio apartments, especially for people who work downtown. Everyone, except the very wealthy, must make tradeoffs when they choose their housing. Some Silicon Valley couples, for instance, choose long commutes to be able to afford nice homes for their families. Other choose less desirable housing closer to work. We think many single people would consider a location next to a freeway and near a substation a small price to pay for decent affordable housing walking distance to downtown Los Gatos. Potential renters are the ones who should decide what tradeoffs are right for them. The town's concern should be whether the developer has a solid reputation for building quality affordable housing, not what tradeoffs people should make when choosing their housing. The town may yet have an opportunity to show that its commitment to affordable housing is something more than lip service. What's at stake is nothing less than the sense of community that's dependent on an economically diverse population. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 20, 1999. ©1999 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.