Millennials simply can't afford to live in OC (San Diego, Santa Ana: townhouses, employment)

[man4857]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

The only way that's gonna happen is tearing out existing neighborhoods and making smaller lots. Plenty of houses have big yards that can be another house. Or high rise or start building out in the SAN Bernardino or Riverside. The big issue is infrastructure. The cost to build or widen freeways is astronomical.

Not even build more freeways or widen them, but to just repair them up to code before they crack already costs tons of money.

I'm not even sure how the transportation problem in LA would be solved. It's too spread out to do a major investment in subways and rail, but it's too dense to make a case for widening freeways and building more roads. Top that off, the car culture especially in SoCal doesn't really give the government much choice since investing in subways and rail to get people out of their cars will only get voted down.

[LuvSouthOC]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

The only way that's gonna happen is tearing out existing neighborhoods and making smaller lots. Plenty of houses have big yards that can be another house. Or high rise or start building out in the SAN Bernardino or Riverside. The big issue is infrastructure. The cost to build or widen freeways is astronomical.
Btw the builders are already building houses on every parcel of land that's available in OC

I think the plan is to tear down SFRs and even townhouses/condos and build rows of high rises. Our QOL would be amazing, just amazing.

[pacific2]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

The only way that's gonna happen is tearing out existing neighborhoods and making smaller lots. Plenty of houses have big yards that can be another house. Or high rise or start building out in the SAN Bernardino or Riverside. The big issue is infrastructure. The cost to build or widen freeways is astronomical.
Btw the builders are already building houses on every parcel of land that's available in OC

I haven't read the report, but according to the article, planners are eyeing empty lots in SF and LA, maybe just for a start.

My hunch is that they will first try to house people as close to job hubs as possible (Hello LA and SF), in order to help reduce, not eliminate, future transportation strain.

Then, my guess is that low-rise apartments will be eyed, and some taken over and razed, to build high rises.

I suspect that the IE will be a target for high rise units once enough large employers commit, through tax incentives, to open shop there.

In the meantime, I can also see them building on parking lots.

There are many large and mostly empty parking lots in South OC, and I believe that developers will seek variances to build high rises on them.

I know it's started in Aliso, but, to date, just to construct another office building and a parking structure. So, AV has given the green light for a developer to build on a parking lot in the sprawling Fluor/Dell campus.

AV is also developing plans to "redo" the city. One proposal is to turn Town Center into a "downtown" destination with entertainment and residential units. That sounds like high rises may be planned, and they will definitely carve up a lot of the existing asphalt.

As far as I know, the only unclaimed large parcel in OC, 25 acres, exists in Aliso at the unused postal service site. The last I heard, it's for sale. It would not surprise me to see the city grant a variance for a high rise.

[CaliRestoration]

Originally Posted by majoun

Should have thought about that before tearing up all the orange groves.

So because OC developed you want to trash the place by making it an unlivable crowded hell hole?

Nothing you say about OC makes any sense probably because you don't live there and haven't spent time there.

[Arizona89A]

Originally Posted by man4857

Well, that's true for all major expensive metros. It's a common misconception that expensive cities have higher incomes. Though it's true, once adjusted for COL, the real salary is actually lower. My job in AZ pays in the mid 70s, I'm only 5% or so off from what OC companies would be paying me, that 5% is easily made up with higher income taxes in CA and that's not even adjusted for COL yet. lol

The cost of living in a brutally hot, extremely socially conservative, drug ridden, crime ridden, area such as metro Phoenix is strikingly high especially given the horrible schools and terrible medical care.

[Arizona89A]

Originally Posted by Electrician4you

The only way that's gonna happen is tearing out existing neighborhoods and making smaller lots. Plenty of houses have big yards that can be another house. Or high rise or start building out in the SAN Bernardino or Riverside. The big issue is infrastructure. The cost to build or widen freeways is astronomical.
Btw the builders are already building houses on every parcel of land that's available in OC

Counties that still have room include Riverside, San Bernardino, Kern, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey. But many areas don't want to look like LA, including the OC.

[asufan]

Interesting. I moved to the Phoenix area from South OC for college and ended up coming back to AZ after college and staying (with plans to return to OC upon retirement). Just some notes in regards to the uninformed person from AZ

Originally Posted by Arizona89A

AZ wastes all its money in light rail when it could be giving companies incentives to come to the state.

The voters wanted light rail and it is small compared to the system in other similar cities. I personally like spending money on things like this, even though I likely won't use it. It has spurred growth along the corridor. This does not mean companies are not given incentives to come to the state, they are. Light rail and business incentives are not mutually exclusive.

Originally Posted by Arizona89A

Also Phoenix hates shopping centers and malls with good paying jobs like Costco and better paying ones like In and Out. I think we only have 4 costcos for a metro of 5 million. And only two Whole Foods that I'm aware of and very few Trader Joes.

There's about 10 costco's and 5-6 Whole Foods with one under construction. There's 2 Trader Joe's in my area alone as well as probably 20+ Sprout's Farmers Markets in the metro area. Not enough?

Originally Posted by Arizona89A

So median salaries are low. Many jobs are not unionized either. Even if they were, doctors refuse to take certain medical insurances. People here are struggling for many reasons as you can see. The state universities have larger drug problems than most college towns I've been to or lived in.

There's drugs and alcohol use in most larger universities. I had friends go to UCI, San Diego St, UCSD, CSF, UCLA, USC, UC Riverside, etc. All the same with the possible exception of the international students. You also said that everyone you come in contact with has a drug problem, to my knowledge 0% of the people I come in contact with are addicts (and I know a lot of people), but statistically speaking, sure, one of them is possibly hiding a pill problem or something It is not "overrun with drugs" any more than OC (Have you even been to the Peninsula?).

Moving away certainly isn't for everyone, but my wife and I would have trouble banking more than 50% of our pay like we do in AZ. We found a nice spot that has water and greenery and high rated schools and are happy. But we do plan to return to those 75 degree Summers and ocean breezes

[OrgNative]

Why is it just "Millennials" who are getting priced out of the market? Wouldn't it make sense that anyone who makes a certain yearly wage is getting priced out? Not just Millennials?

[Hippityhop]

Originally Posted by OrgNative

Why is it just "Millennials" who are getting priced out of the market? Wouldn't it make sense that anyone who makes a certain yearly wage is getting priced out? Not just Millennials?

Millennials are the topic du jour. Nobody cares about Gen X anymore.

[asufan]

Originally Posted by OrgNative

Why is it just "Millennials" who are getting priced out of the market? Wouldn't it make sense that anyone who makes a certain yearly wage is getting priced out? Not just Millennials?

I think it's because they are priced out of staying in their own community. Used to be there was housing for everyone. You grow up in your parents nice 4 bedroom single family house, move into a 1-bedroom apartment in the same area when you move out of the parents house and move your way up to a house similar to your parents. I think that's kinda the point, people there have children that can't afford to stay in town. This is also why you see some places like Irvine having 2-3 generations or families staying in the same home commonplace, although maybe that's also just an Asian custom?