[b9a2cab5]

There is no "heads up our asses" going on in the SF Bay Area, only intentional and malicious stalling of new construction for bullshit reasons to maintain housing prices. I recently moved to a new city that doesn't give a shit about NIMBYs and it's astonishing the increase in density compared to SF. When you require a billion different environmental assays, force the developer to basically redo the entire block's sidewalk and street, don't approve buildings unless they have low income units, don't approve buildings if they look a bit too _not run down_, and limit height to the size of an 1800s Victorian era apartment complex, it's no wonder housing costs are going insane.

Oh, and forced union contracts paying at well above market rate. Basically legalized racketeering.

[MiddleEndian]

What magical place do you live that ignores NIMBYs? Here in Boston, a "neighborhood committee" stopped a taco shop under a dorm from staying open until 2AM because it might "disturb the students" somehow. Needless to say none of the students were actually at this meeting, only random busybodies who lived blocks away.

[zbrozek]

I'm trying to change a roofline. Now the whole building is considered new construction, and requires a geotechnical survey as if I were breaking fresh ground. No dirt is being moved. Thanks California.

[Lammy]

> intentional and malicious stalling of new construction for bullshit reasons to maintain housing prices.

It's even worse than that. If I had to explain the Bay Area post-WW2 anti-housing mindset in one graph, it would be this one: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/blacks_ch...

Source/context:

https://belonging.berkeley.edu/racial-segregation-san-franci...

https://belonging.berkeley.edu/racial-segregation-san-franci...

[mertd]

Thanks for the sources. The aggressive NIMBY'ism of the Bay Area is really bizarre. Part of it is well explained by textbook racism.

[imwillofficial]

If San Fran is racist, there is no hope for the rest of us.

[seehafer]

I think you overestimate how much the professed beliefs of the region coincide with the actual beliefs. Having lived all over the country SF is one of the more hypocritical places I’ve been. You don’t see nearly as many Black Lives Matter signs in Dallas for instance, but what you do see are far more middle class black families living side by side middle class white families.

For more on the Bay Area’s legacy of racism, highly suggest reading Richard Rothstein’s _The Color of Law_.

[nradov]

Most NIMBYs are long term residents who are more concerned about quality of life than housing prices. The price someone could theoretically get for their home is meaningless if they intend to die there.

[dredmorbius]

Until their children and grandchildren start looking to buy in the area ... and discover that they cannot.

That happens relatively slowly, however, and by then it is far too late.