Pleasanton forced to have 2524 low income housing units (Fremont, Livermore: renting, how much)

[jade408]

The Tri-valley is still part of the East Bay, but Pleasanton has grown with high paying white collar jobs while other parts of the East Bay have lost lot of high paying blue collar jobs. So more people were impacted. It is fair to say it is way easier to find a white collar job than a blue collar job here in the Bay Area. It looks to me like Pleasanton has made a concerted effort to create development to support white collar workers.

[Ceece]

So really I have no sympathy for pleasanton types. The funniest thing about this is all they have been orderd to do is zone for this stuff. No one is forcing anyone to build or buy anything. But we all know how fast all that middle class condo and town house housing in dublin filled up! LoL thats why pleasanton folks have their panties in a bunch, because they know IF YOU BUILD IT THEY WILL COME.

There you go again with that "pleasanton types" bullpucky. But truth be told, this is exactly WHY Pleasanton won't build the way Dublin did. Pleasanton has better planning and you won't find thousands of affordable condos/apartments concentrated on so many acres.....because that is a undisputed disaster. And anyone who lives there will tell you so.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by Ceece

There you go again with that "pleasanton types" bullpucky. But truth be told, this is exactly WHY Pleasanton won't build the way Dublin did. Pleasanton has better planning and you won't find thousands of affordable condos/apartments concentrated on so many acres.....because that is a undisputed disaster. And anyone who lives there will tell you so.

Stereotypes exist, live with it, get over it, move on. I am a black male and I have dealt with stereotypes my whole life. If I spent as much time as you worried about someones catch phrase I would have boils on my bottom.

How is the building in dublin by the bart an" undisputed disaster". Dublin high ranks in like the top 20% of all high schools in the state, there is little crime there, and the middle class have homes to live in right next to bart and the free way.

That is a seriously smart growth when compared to the twisty windy culdasac roads filled with single family low denisty TRACT HOME suburban sprawl of pleasanton, where middle class people cant afford to buy.

The only people who do not like what dublin has built by bart are of course, people from pleasanton.

[jade408]

I am really happy about the development around BART on the Dublin side, even if it is a bit fake. Dublin caught on the smart growth and density is what is needed now. We aren't making land here in the Bay Area and we need to use what we have wisely. And encourage greener, and healthier behavior. And this requires cooperation for all of the cities in our region. Not just those who opt-in. Everyone needs to take on a share of creating affordable housing and denser communities.

[NorCal Dude]

Originally Posted by jade408

I am really happy about the development around BART on the Dublin side, even if it is a bit fake. Dublin caught on the smart growth and density is what is needed now. We aren't making land here in the Bay Area and we need to use what we have wisely. And encourage greener, and healthier behavior. And this requires cooperation for all of the cities in our region. Not just those who opt-in. Everyone needs to take on a share of creating affordable housing and denser communities.

I agree. I don't know what it is about the vibe of places like dublin and san ramon vs pleasanton but, they feel so much nicer than pleasanton less gaudy . They have smart growth, they are not classist, and lets just say (as a black male married to a half portuguese half assyrian) that I find them to be a bit more welcoming to folks "of color".

I think dublin and san ramon are great places and its great to see them not only welcome people who are not upper middle class, but to design the neighborhoods in a way where it does not ruin the area and actually promotes transit. Its a fresh breath of air from places(well i say places but really its JUST PLEASANTON as far as alameda county goes) like pleasanton that promote hatred, intolerance,smog, and sprawl.

[jade408]

I have a theory on where Pleasanton went wrong. I haven't had a chance to give it a name or flush out the details, but it happens all over the Bay Area. I'll call it the plight of the 100-300s. (As in annual household income.)

Anywhere else in the country, besides maybe in NYC, someone in that income bracket would be "rich" and/or "upper middle class." Around here, that barely gets you into a starter home in a nice school district. So some people feel entitled to the trappings of "upper class" lifestyles and are really disappointed in the fact that here, that's basically middle class. And "average." And everyone treats them that way. So they take out their disappointment on everyone else.

[Ceece]

There are a couple of building by the BART in Dublin, most of their growth in farther east, high density housing, lot's of it. That's what Pleasanton won't do. I have no doubt they will build by BART...BECASUE IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE PLAN TO BUILD BY BART. They will set aside some more property and may build more now, but who knows. None of it is a done deal and only time will tell what ends up happening. There will soon be two BART stations in those towns, so the housing-near-transport can be spread out. That's most likely what will happen and the best possible scenario.

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by sonarrat

You need to realize that "low income" in Pleasanton can still mean almost $85,000 a year.

Wouldn't they have to use California guidelines for income?

[Taboo2]

Originally Posted by NorCal Dude

I agree. I don't know what it is about the vibe of places like dublin and san ramon vs pleasanton but, they feel so much nicer than pleasanton less gaudy . They have smart growth, they are not classist, and lets just say (as a black male married to a half portuguese half assyrian) that I find them to be a bit more welcoming to folks "of color".

I think dublin and san ramon are great places and its great to see them not only welcome people who are not upper middle class, but to design the neighborhoods in a way where it does not ruin the area and actually promotes transit. Its a fresh breath of air from places(well i say places but really its JUST PLEASANTON as far as alameda county goes) like pleasanton that promote hatred, intolerance,smog, and sprawl.

I disagree. Having worked in San Ramon AND Pleasanton for a number of years I found San Ramon was full of elitist adults who felt the were entitled to behave anyway they desired. I never had those issues working in Pleasanton. But they are both a little too uptight and narrow minded in my opinion. But I sure felt safer there than when I was working in Oakland, Hayward, and Berkeley.

[fam1st]

New here and all I can say about this posting is ... wow. I've been searching different communities in the area and had considered Pleasanton (among others) as a possible fit for my family. Now I'm a little scared. We are in that working middle class category - mom, dad, 2 kids - looking to relocate to the area this summer. Income is going to be @ $80 k. If we had made different life choices, this might have been more. But since I chose to leave college to raise our kids (felt this was a higher calling than the call of money and material things), we are content to live the rest of our lives in the middle class (maybe this is lower class in Pleasanton).

What bothers me is the underlying tone of snobbery and elitism I find in these posts. We don't care about the latest gadgets or luxuries. We care about family. We've encountered prejudices like this before and do not wish to subject our children to this type of cruelty (and I'm not talking about race, we are white; but the prejudice of money and possessions. That type of prejudice knows no color).

I don't really know what kind of housing we would be in. We are considering renting first to get our bearings, and when we buy, spending between 350 - 400 k. We really are just looking for a nice area with low crime, good schools, and friendly people. We will know no one when we move, and I had hoped my children, 6th and 10th grade, would be welcomed and not feel like outsiders. However, after reading these posts, I keep getting images in my mind of that movie "Mean Girls".

There are very nice communities all over this country with a variety of housing costs and the lower priced housing in these areas are not necessarily drug-ridden slums. If we move into this area and buy a house in this price range, will we be looked down on for it? My husband works, but if I choose not to work 60 hours a week but only part time so I can be home for my kids, will I be seen as a lazy person? Seems like my priorities are not the same as some who post here.

So, where can I find a safe, family friendly area with good schools. Btw, my husband will be working in Fremont (he's leaving for there next week - the kids and I will follow after school lets out). I've looked at Fremont, Pleasanton, Livermore, and Dublin. Where can a midwestern family fit in out there?