When Amazon moved in, the jobs promised by the developer never materialized, in part because the company was not held accountable. Some of the proposed housing developments are located on the border of our protected baylands, which provide some protection from flooding due to sea-level rise.ĭevelopers often make promises about community benefits, but we’ve been burned before. Many long-term residents are also worried about the environmental impact of the city’s plan. It’s evident that East Palo Alto’s tenant protections are not enough-we had only 30 days to pack up and go when our landlord decided to sell our house.
The city can start by expanding renter protections. Income qualifications for below-market housing should allow low-, moderate- and middle-income renters and buyers. The city needs to establish a more robust below-market housing program to increase the supply of affordable homes for sale. But how many families would that reach? Not enough. The city is proposing that 20% of all new rental housing units be affordable to families who make between 35% and 60% of household median income (about $83,000). That’s precisely what happened when Meta (formerly Facebook) and Amazon moved into the neighborhood.Įast Palo Alto needs more affordable housing. Why not include businesses that can employ the people who live here now?īasic economics says that increasing the demand for housing will further exacerbate home prices and rent. The Ravenswood plan, however, also anticipates bringing in thousands of tech jobs that require a four-year college degree, although a third of East Palo Alto residents have less than a high school education. It also holds the promise of lasting fiscal solvency for the city by improving the tax base. It includes jobs and housing for residents and thriving, open community spaces with parks. The city’s plan for downtown East Palo Alto, the Ravenswood Business District, has some merit. In my hometown, the seeming lack of city plans and policies to keep residents from losing their homes is alarming. My family was homeless for three months until a rental application was approved for a house far from our schools, jobs and extended family in East Palo Alto.Įast Palo Alto is just one of many California communities undergoing this kind of change and displacement of long-time residents. We were given 30 days’ notice by an absentee landlord. Then, in April, we abruptly lost my childhood home. It felt as if, anywhere I was in the neighborhood, I could call for help, call for support, or just have loving people around me.
Grandma and grandpa lived down the street my aunties and uncles were around the corner my friends and cousins were within shouting distance. I was lucky to be surrounded by family and friends to celebrate the ups and navigate the downs in life. I grew up on Tulane Avenue in East Palo Alto, a beautiful, vibrant city of 29,000 by the San Francisco Bay.
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