“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.” – Henry David Thoreau
I will do all that I can to ensure that property rights are protected, the climate of Irvine is conducive to trade, and that residents and businesses can afford to stay here.
Low taxes & fees
- Resist new taxes and fees
- Maintain free business licensing
Pro-growth
- Increase supply of entertainment options
- Encourage entertainment venues to locate in Irvine as Irvine Meadows is closing
- Increase supply of housing
- Dialogue with developers and UCI to better understand barriers to building housing that they have experienced
- Ensure efficiency in the permitting process
- Be mindful that developers will pass on fees incurred during permit process to renters or buyers
- Remove legal or zoning barriers to affordable, sustainable microhousing and tiny houses
- Support zoning more high-density areas to allow modern solutions for living spaces for single professionals and students, such as micro-apartments and studios
- Deregulate duplexes – for example, why can’t property owners determine for themselves how much floor space to devote to a second unit? “The floor area of a second unit shall not exceed 30 percent of the floor area of the existing living area” (Zoning Ch. 3-26-3).
- Encourage dialogue about innovative housing practices like co-housing and cooperatives
- Dialogue with developers and UCI to better understand barriers to building housing that they have experienced
Orange County in general has a massive housing shortage (estimates vary; 40,000 to 100,000 more units may be needed countywide). Irvine is one of the cities with highest demand.
For too long now, anti-growth attitudes and regulations have resulted in too much money chasing too little housing stock – and as a consequence, renters and new homebuyers face ever-increasing prices and years-long wait times for affordable housing. I myself have been on the waiting list for on-campus housing at UCI for about 8 years. It is time to focus on increasing supply as a way to make housing available and affordable for Irvine residents.
Courtney Santos for Irvine City Council 