Mass Exodus
I, too, am quite concerned about the exodus of so many great people from Marin. Most are not leaving voluntarily like Peter Coyote. They are being forced out because their rent is doubling or more. How many of us could manage a $1,000 increase in our living expenses overnight? The problem is not too much housing—it’s too little. When the demand is strong and the supply is low, the prices go up. It’s kind of a no-brainer, that if you constrain housing opportunities you’re going to change your demographics.
If we look at Mill Valley alone, the population has only grown by 6 percent since 1970, yet the number of cars has grown by 65 percent and the number of vehicle miles traveled is up by 85 percent. People are more stressed and harried because they are commuting more and farther to get to the better-paying jobs in the city and South Bay. It’s obvious that we need to not only protect the diversity of existing homes, but to also find a way to provide more homes while protecting our open space. We want homes that are located near transit and services so people have transportation choices. We need homes that are resource-efficient so that they use less water and less energy. All of this can be accomplished if we just stop trying to blame someone else for our troubles. If we own the problem then we can solve the problem.
Wendi Kallins, Forest Knolls
