City Known as Itself a Massive Cat Habitat to Block Housing, Then Reversed Course

Daniel Yost, who served on the City Council for 5 years, stated on Monday, “I by no means heard anybody categorical any concern about preserving mountain lion territory.” However, Mr. Yost stated, there have been complaints by some Council members about housing mandates.

“We’re lucky right here in Woodside. It’s a rich group,” Mr. Yost stated. “Lots of people have benefited from the California dream right here,” he stated. Whereas some residents need to “discover a method for others to profit as properly,” there have been additionally those that “appear intent on kind of drawing up the drawbridge,” he added.

In all his years in Woodside, Mr. Yost stated that he had by no means personally seen a mountain lion. However he recalled that one weekend when he was away, his neighbors stated that they noticed a mountain lion on the road.

Since S.B. 9 was taken up by California lawmakers final 12 months, many native authorities and home-owner teams have vehemently opposed the measure, with some saying it “crushes single-family zoning.”

Sonja Trauss, a housing advocate and the chief director of Sure In My Yard Regulation, stated that her group had documented about 40 instances through which cities sought to restrict, block or discourage S.B. 9 housing. Many cities have been passing “urgency” ordinances, she stated, with little time for overview by the general public and elected leaders.

“The quantity of tension that is inflicting, in comparison with the final word density that it requires to be permitted, could be very unusual,” she stated. “S.B. 9 is de facto one of many first statewide zonings that truly goes particularly after single-family areas.”

Michael Andersen, a senior housing researcher at Sightline Institute in Oregon, stated that when states cross legal guidelines to handle housing shortages, many rich communities typically reply with new ordinances, like declaring neighborhoods a historic district, or imposing zoning rules that make it tough for a developer to construct multifamily properties.