Enough water for new homes?
Re “Zoning bill’s effects projected to be mild,” July 22
So the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley (an advocate for higher density in residential areas) published a study in support of Senate Bill 9, which would allow up to four homes on most single-family lots. Yet the authors of your article on the study neglect to address the issue of water.
The Times in recent months has done an excellent job covering how the drought, exacerbated by climate change, has profoundly affected the residents of California. So in future articles on SB 9, please have your journalists ask those who advocate for higher density if there is sufficient water for all this new development.
Yes, we need low-cost housing. But SB 9 seems to be a cleverly disguised bill to assist developers to sidestep local zoning laws. Californians will be left holding the bag when the wells run dry.
The questions regarding water for housing development should not be brushed over or left unasked.
Tunde Garai San Gabriel
While the proponents of SB 9 have good intentions, this legislation is very misguided.
Dividing up single-family lots and rezoning for multiple dwellings is not going to solve the shortage of housing. These subdivides are priced at top dollar, raising median prices, resulting in just the opposite of what the supporters of this bill hope to do.
Additionally, more dwellings will further strain water and power, which are tapped to the limit, not to mention city services such as sanitation.
The beauty of Los Angeles is the ability to have a dream home on a residential street with good quality of life. Should this legislation go through, it will kill that dream. Our elected representatives must do better. Ilyanne Morden
Kichaven Sherman Oaks
Not a single word regarding the additional need for water or electricity, two resources whose limitations are documented elsewhere in the same edition.
Additional housing may be needed and wanted, but high density is not the answer. There is a saturation point, and ultimately zero population growth is the better goal.
I am reminded of a “Twilight Zone” episode in which a contest prize for the winning family was space, but with hordes of people clawing and pressing against the fence.
Gail Chambers
Whittier