Volume VI | April 21, 2017
THIS WEEK ON THE SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULA 
News that Impacts Your Quality of Life
This newsletter strives to place jobs, housing and transportation into useful context for San Francisco Peninsula residents. We search the local press for articles that feature stories on these and other topics of interest to individuals and families who make their home on the peninsula.

The newsletter is edited by Neilson Buchanan and John Guislin, two Palo Alto  residents with no ties to developers.  Our sole objective is to promote quality of life context for local residents.

Please note: We occasionally highlight  articles on news sites that have limited access for non-subscribers.
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Thank you for your interest in life on the Peninsula!

Biotech Tidal Wave in the Bay
Officials prepare for a South San Francisco biotechnology development of more than 2 million square feet of research and development space, plus an additional 1,200 proposed housing units.
San Jose Passes Sweeping Renters Protection Laws

San Jose  approved a far-reaching set of new renter protection laws, including, most significantly, a new requirement that residential landlords present a “just cause” before evicting tenants, and Ellis Act laws that curtail developers' ability to redevelop rent-controlled property.                                       Silicon Valley Business Journal

Palo Alto Pursues Paid Parking
There’s a cure for downtown Palo Alto’s parking shortage and traffic congestion, consultants say, and it’s called paid parking.  Council members unanimously voted to accept a study and directed staff to evaluate ways to charge for parking. 
Mt. View caught in Catch 22...
Forfeits $1 million in Airbnb Taxes

“Airbnb and other short-term rental companies have become a fixture of Mountain View.  This cottage industry -- now numbering more than 800 listings in Mountain View -- has prospered thanks in part to the city's hands-off approach. For years, city officials have mostly turned a blind eye to short-term rental hosts by declining to update city policies, levy hotel taxes or enforce zoning rules”                   Mountain View Voice

Menlo Park Trafficgeddon Morphs into Cupertino Parkageddon 
“….Apple’s shiny new… headquarters in Cupertino.. will be more than just a spaceship-like orb nestled in 175 acres of trees. It will have enough space to park 11,000 cars—an area far bigger than….the actual building.  Apple has inspired “Parkageddon,” an investigation by The Economist looking at why humans devote so much land to the storage of motionless vehicles”   Curbed
Blueprint for Local Affordable Housing Moving Forward
The only way for the Bay Area to become a relatively affordable place to live again is for cities and counties to be more tolerant of different types of housing, according to the draft of a new regional plan. This could include a requirement that at least 10 percent of new units across the region be affordable and requiring fewer parking spaces in new housing complexes.                             San Francisco Chronicle