Real Data SF

A report by the U.S. Geological Survey includes a list of buildings that are potentially vulnerable to a large quake. Some of San Francisco’s most prominent high rises are on the list.

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This modest 2 BR/1 BA Glen Park home, a mere 1,030 SF per tax records, listed in late March for $1.295 million and sold four days later for a whopping $2.105 million. Lovely garden and pleasant views, but no easy means of expansion and on a street that can be challenging. My jaw dropped when I read the sale price. No wonder it made the news.

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We all know about Millennium Tower’s 14″ lean, but did you know that California’s building code standards for a five story building are the same as those for a fifty story sky-scraper? That’s according to today’s front page New York Times article about the city’s downtown sky-scraper boom, the most visible emblem of which is the 1070′ tall Salesforce Tower, now the tallest building in the Western states. With many of the buildings constructed on sandy soils South of Market, the US Geological Survey says there’s a high likelihood that that the ground will liquefy in an earthquake. That’s not the kind of sand I want to have my head buried in when the next Big One strikes. I can only hope that local building code standards are stronger than the state’s and that Smart People are thinking about these things. ...  Additional Details

A piece in last Thursday’s New York Times investigates growing calls for rent control in cities across California, along with repealing the Costa-Hawkins Act, which limits the ability of cities to enact rent control ordinances. But as the article points out, “Economists across the ideological spectrum have found that rent control protects entrenched tenants but raises prices for future renters.”

It’s easy to blame “greedy landlords” but in my opinion housing affordability will only improve when the supply side of the equation is also addressed. And that means making it easier and for developers to build denser housing. Not surprisingly, most people are NIMBY’s when it comes to that prospect. ...  Additional Details

Today’s NY Times article discusses solutions the most unaffordable city on the planet is considering to its housing shortage. Solutions include living in a drainpipe, adding new floors to existing high-rises, and converting cruise-ships.