Real Estate Articles
Density not a bad thing, if well-planned says longtime planner
Density does not have to be scary, as long as it is well-planned and communities are open to change and transitioning to a 3.0 urban/suburban era, according to a longtime, now retired, senior planner.
At a recent meeting of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®, Don Weden, a Santa Clara County principal planner for over 30 years, shared his insights on forces causing change in Silicon Valley. For both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, he believes the solution is transitioning from what he termed the 2.0 suburban era to the 3.0 urban/suburban era.
Weden's premise is suburbia is no longer applicable today and won't be in the near future because of factors reshaping Silicon Valley. First and foremost is population growth. Over the next 15 years, San Mateo County's current population of 747,000 is projected to grow by 80,000 people. Santa Clara County's population of 1,800,000 is expected to increase by 300,000 people by 2030. Many will settle in the North Valley because of limited land supply.
Population has increased because Silicon Valley's economy is booming. In the month of May 2016 alone, the region added 6,000 jobs. Jobs are people magnets, said Weden.
People are also living longer. By 2030, one in three adults (30 percent) in Santa Clara County will be 65 years and older. Aging baby boomers will not be driving. Life in the suburbs will no longer be attractive to seniors because "the way the suburbs are built doesn't assume growing old," said Weden.
Then there are the millennials, the age group between 18 and 36. They outnumber boomers today and make up majority of the U.S. workforce. Many millennials prefer living in an urban setting. This generation has the lowest percentage with driver's licenses since 1963. They prefer to walk or take the bus.
The lifestyle preferences of both generations cannot be ignored from a land use perspective, as they converge toward walkable, urban communities, with easy access to public transportation.
The former senior planner said the prescription for growth is "proactive guided change." Land use and transportation are inseparable. Careful land use planning must take into account not just the number of homes built, but trips people need to take within their community, their doctor visits, trips to the grocery store and to work.
'The scariest words in suburbia are 'density' and 'urban.' Density is but a tool that can be used wisely or unwisely. Density can be part of the solution if it is well-planned," said Weden. Creating hybrid communities, suburbs with livable, green, urban, walkable neighborhoods, with convenient access to public transportation would transition to the 3.0 urban/suburban era.
Weden told REALTORS®, "Get comfortable with urban and density. 2030 is not that far way. We need to act with a sense of urgency and harness the forces bringing change."
The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.
The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.
Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.
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