Calif. High Sierra: Isolate-at-(Snow-Covered)-Cabin?

The California High Sierra Mountains are beautiful in all seasons. In the winter, from the high elevation forested areas on up to beyond the tree line can be very deeply snow-covered. Intrepid skiers sometimes can rent cabins in the Big Trees Village area with names inspired by the fabled "Bigfoot" legend: the "Hairy Knuckle Forest," the "Big Foot Circle," and "The Big Toe."

The following paraphrased report from a local business in that forested mountain area provides an antidotal glimpse of recent local weather conditions:

(Excerpt) "...there were many power lines, trees, branches etc. down with the storm last week. We went up, but there were too many detours everywhere that we headed back down the hill. Plan to try again driving by more of the cabins once the weather clears..."

More Seriously Isolated-at-Home

MEDIA CREDIT: PG&E

CALAVERAS COUNTY – Two PG&E workers rescued an elderly man who was trapped in his home in Calaveras County for five days due to snow.

Stockon-based PG&E troublemen Adam Gossett and Ean Collins were in the area of Big Trees Village... working on restoring power impacted by a heavy storm when they said they heard a faint scream coming from a nearby home covered almost completely in snow, the utility said in a news release.

“He was saying ‘Help me’ and ‘I’m hungry,’ so we grabbed our bagged lunches and some water and made our way to him,” Collins said.

The utility said the man had blown a whistle for two days as a call for help and placed “Please help!” signs in his windows with no luck.

PG&E said the workers found that the 74-year-old man had been trapped in his home for nearly a week and was without food, power, heat, or a phone.

“He was shivering and clearly in distress,” Gossett said.

Gossett and Collins called 911, PG&E said, and responders found the man was a diabetic and in need of additional care.

“He said he had been praying for someone to help him. I told him, ‘God answered your prayers today,’” Gossett said.

MEDIA CREDIT: CBS13, 3.22.2020

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Post No. 305

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California: accessory dwelling unit (ADU)

California has a problem
Okay, say an understated obvious housing crisis. There actually are not enough dwellings. Not enough houses for everyone here, for everyone that wants to live here, for everyone we need to live here, in California.

Let's just call it out: In my opinion, "political will" too often is created and supported by self-serving no-growth interests and money. Occasionally this interferes with sound land use planning. Land use decisions are made by property owners and by the many local, regional, and state governmental jurisdictions.

"Not in my Backyard" (NIMBY) is the simplification into a phrase of motives that drive the creation of "no-growth" policies. These policies are implemented in land use decisions that are made into law by jurisdictions. And past lawful land use has not provided enough dwellings in California, at all.

2020 California (State level) land use laws allow densification
New state level Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) laws allow creation of some additional dwellings in specific land use categories.

(Excerpt) "California's housing and affordability crisis isn’t going away any time soon. But a slate of new state laws have empowered homeowners to use a small but significant tool that advocates say will create an increase in new units and new opportunities.

Accessory dwelling units, or ADUs—small structures, typically under 1,000 square feet, that are built by homeowners on their properties—became a centerpiece of state housing legislation... after five bills were signed into law expanding the ability for Californians to build such structures in their backyards. By allowing residents to both build a small apartment and convert their garage, the legislative package, in effect, allows triplexes in much of the state.

'People will be able to have an ADU and a junior ADU on single family lots, or they can convert two garages on a duplex lot,' says Ira Belgrade, an advocate and consultant for ADU construction... ."

MEDIA CREDIT: Curbed SF, 10.11.2019

ON TOPIC:

"What You Should Know About the New California A.D.U. Laws for 2020"

Rost Architects

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Post No. 304

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Dunites: secret dune living in circa 1920s utopia?

MEDIA CREDIT: Title Insurance and Trust Company (Los Angeles)

Collection of Historical Photographs

Back of photo penciled inscription:
“John BellÑOld hermit of Pismo Beach 1901"

The sands of Oceano Dunes today

MEDIA CREDIT: Joe Johnston

"The most amazing vibrations on earth could be found ... in the middle of the Oceano Dunes ... That’s where we are. A vortex, kinda like Sedona Arizona, just a magnificent energy center."

Source: John Reid, Environmentalist

When did the Dunites arrive?

(Excerpt)"The shacks of the Dunites have long disintegrated or been buried under the sands of the Oceano Dunes.

The exact timeframe isn’t clear, but the Dunites started coming to the Oceano Dunes, located south of Pismo Beach [California] ... around the 1910s.

The assortment in the early 20th century consisted generally of moonshiners, hobos who took refuge in the dunes during the winter and people who just needed a break from the world — such as Hugo Seelig, who sought refuge in the dunes due to his distress over the United States entering World War I, according to Hammond’s 1992 book, 'The Dunites.'

Economic problems, especially during the Great Depression, also made the Dunes an attractive option, Hammond said.

'There were no jobs and no money and you could go there and do just fine,' Hammond said. 'A lot easier than you could in the city.'

In the 1930s, Chester A. Arthur’s grandson, Gavin Arthur, started a utopian commune in the Dunes called Moy Mell — 'pastures of honey' in Gaelic — which served as a magnet for artists and intellectuals.

Novelist John Steinbeck and photographer Ansel Adams were just a few of the notable guests at Moy Mell.

Hammond said some of the mystics out in the Dunes resented the intrusion of the more moneyed Dunites like Arthur.

'Gavin Arthur built his utopian colony and that changed everything — not for the worst,' Hammond said.

Arthur 'brought in a lot of intellectualism' and started the Dune Forum, a magazine that aimed to be a sort of New Yorker of the West.

In his book, Hammond notes that Time Magazine said the Dune Forum was 'hoping to direct the creative thought of America away from Europe and toward the West.'”

Read more here by Gabby Ferreira.


ON TOPIC:
SCPR audio (09:40)

Read more here: https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/news-columns-blogs/slo-weird/article232802212.html#storylink=cpy

"rough and ready"
The LORD gives us many gifts, not all are kept or applied perfectly. One may too often doubt their ability, focus, and fervor to find pragmatic solutions. There also is divine compassion. Stay rough and ready.

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Post No. 298

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Palo Alto: namesake redwood tree

Iconic Redwood

Source: Wall mural near Stanford University,

located inside an "American chain grocery store."

Artist: unknown

El Palo Alto ("The tall tree")
(Excerpt) "... located in El Palo Alto Park on the banks of San Francisquito Creek in Palo Alto, California, United States, where the Caltrain tracks cross the creek.

California Historical Landmark
The tree is California Historical Landmark No. 2 ... It is recognized by the National Arborist Association and International Society of Arboriculture for its historical significance as "a campsite for the Portola Expedition Party of 1769"; being frequented by the Costanoan/Ohlone Indians; and for its use as a sighting tree by surveyors plotting out El Camino Real. The tree is depicted on the city of Palo Alto's official seal and on the seal of Stanford University. It is the origin of the city's name [Palo Alto.]

Source: Wikipedia

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Post No. 297

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Pacific Heights Mansion in San Francisco

Bourne Mansion: 'English Townhouse,' SF Historical Landmark #38

MEDIA CREDIT: Hand in Hand Production

San Francisco Historical Landmark #38 is a majestic century-old mansion, an elaborate edifice of local ‘clinker bricks,' standing firmly in the highest part of the well-located Pacific Heights neighborhood.

Circa 1894-1897, William Bowers Bourn II commissioned architect Willis J. Polk to create an ‘English townhouse’ where he could stay and entertain when he was in The City. This mansion, a masterpiece of masonry skills and aesthetic materials, was a singular work at the time. It resolutely survived earthquakes in 1906 and 1989, and is a grand architectural artifact in San Francisco history.

Bourn II had roots in the Empire Mine near Grass Valley, founded by his father William Bowers Bourn. After his father’s passing in 1874, Bourn II guided the revitalization of the lucrative mining company and other financial interests. The family fortune grew enormously. Bourn II was president of the utility company that would become Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), and president of the Spring Valley Water Company (SVWC) that supplied and distributed water to five counties in the Bay Area. SVWC eventually was sold to a government entity. Bourn II developed many projects, often with architect Willis Polk. A notable property down the peninsula is Bourn’s massive estate, “Filoli.” The name is derived from the first two letters of each word in Bourn’s motto: “Fight, Love, Live.”

Bourn Mansion today is privately owned and lovingly preserved to be a faithful historical representative of its young and maturing region during a transitional turn-of-the-nineteenth-century.

Bourn Mansion is a four story, 9 bedroom, 7 bath mansion that features 27 total rooms including grand entertaining spaces, luxurious living areas, and ornate detailing throughout. Its interior now appears virtually unchanged from initial construction. Original features include a richly carved staircase, oak hardwood floors, and mahogany and redwood paneling. When restoration work is needed, initial construction is matched as closely as possible.

The first floor serves as the main entry into the mansion. Beautiful mahogany doors open into the entry foyer. Notice the vaulted, hand-gilded gold ceiling. It is believed to simulate a rich mineshaft from Bourn’s Empire Mine. Directly off of the entry foyer to the right is an elegant Ladies Sitting Room featuring paneled walls and decorative molding. To the left is a Gentleman’s Den. Here, you’ll find hand-chiseled redwood planked flooring and ceiling beams, and a brownstone fireplace that provides a rustic setting. At the end of the entry foyer, a hand-carved Grand Staircase connects each level of the building. The first floor also has a Laundry/Fitness Room, Gourmet Kitchen, full Pantry/Prep Area, and Manager’s Suite with bathroom.

The second floor is the main entertainment level. The Grand Staircase leads to a large central Reception Hall that is entirely encased in a hand-painted mural by American painter and sculptor, Bruce Porter. It connects to the Formal Sitting Room, the Ballroom, and the Dining Room. The Formal Sitting Room has redwood paneling and a fresco ceiling of pastel and gilding. There is an extravagant Ballroom at the front of the mansion that is highlighted with ornate crown moldings, a carved Italian marble fireplace, large Corinthian columns, and a balcony that overlooks Webster Street. The Dining Room is surrounded by mahogany paneling and ceiling beams. Adjacent to the fireplace in the Dining Room, the Conservatory has an arch-shape ceiling, abundant daylighting with massive leaded-glass windows, and direct access to an outdoor terrace.

ON TOPIC:

This blogger would like to thank the talented and gracious owners of this magnificent San Francisco property for their much appreciated time, efforts, information, and hospitality that has made possible this brief article and a very meaningful experience at the mansion by a fortunate small group of people.

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Post No. 294

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"Unscientific" Bay Area Map

Mapped Urban Dictionary "data" current cica 2016

Source: Sasha Trubetskoy

Mr. Trubetskoy may be available for hire

(Excerpt) "Originally this was supposed to be the start of a line of posters, but it failed to gain traction...

I was really inspired by all the positive reactions and support that I got for the original Bay Area Map (unfortunately, the Kickstarter failed.) Below is the story from the Kickstarter page:

...We’ve all tried typing our hometown or neighborhood into Urban Dictionary. Personally, I was excited at how much information was on that site, and others like it all over the Internet. I saw this abundance of data as something that could be used to create an interesting map.

Mapping today is dominated by data freaks, obsessed with being scientifically rigorous and statistically significant. But as a data freak, I’ve come to realize that not all maps have to involve equations. I want to take a break, be a little unscientific, and put the human element back on the map. Ultimately, cities and neighborhoods are collections of people, and I wanted to map their experiences. As it turns out, these unscientific maps are just as charming, thorough and thought-provoking as any other."

Source: S. Trubetskoy, cartographer, designer, artist. Contact info

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Post No. 293

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The Geary Theater in San Francisco

American Conservatory Theater (ACT)

(Excerpt) "Hailed as the 'perfect playhouse,' the beautiful Geary Theater has been our home since the beginning. When the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake ripped the roof apart, San Franciscans raised a record-breaking $30 million to rebuild the theater. The Geary reopened in 1996..."

Source: encore, Season 52, Issue 5, JAN-FEB 2019, "Seascape"

MEDIA CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Traditional seat of legitimate drama in San Francisco since 1910

(Excerpt) "In the earthquake and fire of 1906, The City lost all eight of its downtown theaters.

Bliss and Faville, one of the most prominent architectural firms in San Francisco, designed the Geary Theater. Construction of the Geary began in 1908, and re-opened on January 10, 1910. It was then known as the Columbia Theater, named after a theater at Powell and Ellis streets, that had been destroyed in the earthquake and fire. ...[Between] 1924 and 1928... the building was known briefly as the Wilkes, and then the Lurie Theatre... reopened as the Geary Theater on February 6, 1928.

In January 1967, the Geary Theater became the permanent home of the American Conservatory Theater [ACT], which bought the building in 1974. In 1975, the Geary was awarded a place on the U.S. Department of the Interior's NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES and was named a LANDMARK of the State of California and the City and County of San Francisco."
Source: United States History

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

MEDIA CREDIT: QWKDRW

1989 Earthquake - roof and interior damage

Photo below: (Excerpt) "A view of the proscenium and the orchestra seating of the Geary Theater after the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989. The earthquake causes cosmetic damage, ripping a 2,000-square-foot hole in the ceiling."

MEDIA CREDIT: HISTORICAL TIMELINE, ACT-SF.org

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Post No. 290

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TOD Silicon Valley: transit oriented development

Source: GIVE ME A MOMENT a lifestyle

"Living [with a short commute to] where you work is important to maintaining a strong economy for the entire Bay Area,” said Juliana Bunim, senior vice president at the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She added, “Everyday we hear from our members how their employees can’t afford to live here and are being forced to leave. It’s time to talk about what real solutions are for housing and not get distracted by a couple of loud voices that can drown out what people actually want... .”

Transit Oriented Development (TOD)

TOD creates densified, walkable, sustainable, mixed-use urban communities centered around existing or planned intermodal passenger train stations along rail lines -- above or below ground. This makes possible an everyday lifestyle with shorter commute times and less dependency on often already over-crowded automobile roadways. Perhaps even nearly complete independence from owning and driving an automobile, if one desires to not drive at all.

(Excerpt) "Transit oriented development is regional planning, city revitalization, suburban renewal, and walkable neighborhoods combined. TOD... [creates] exciting people places in city after city... [that often become] the most desirable places to live, work, and play. Real estate developers have quickly followed to meet the high demand for quality urban places served by rail systems."

Source: www.tod.org

Silicon Valley housing development by transit hubs

Public opinion in the cities of the Silicon Valley Region is shifting toward increasing density and building heights around transit hubs. Proponents have long held that this is essential for The City and Silicon Valley area that is tormented by increasingly difficult to find housing, unreasonable commute times, and almost ever present traffic congestion on all automobile roadways.

(Excerpt) "Though it wasn’t mentioned by name, ...[public opinion is about California legislation] SB50, a bill by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco."

In addition to increasing allowable building densities by transit hubs, the California SB50 legislation also:

(Excerpt) "...raises [building] height limits to 45 feet, about four stories, within a half-mile of the station, and 55 feet within a quarter mile. It also eliminates minimum parking requirements for new developments, which San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to do back in December."

Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 2.11.2019

On Topic:
Silicon Valley Needs Some New Highs...
Desperate Commuters: Silicon Valley workers in one occupancy vehicles  

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Post No. 288

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Delancey Street Foundation

San Francisco, California

Source: SF Examiner, 6/1988

This was going to be a post about Delancey Street Restaurant, which is a great place to eat in San Francisco. Click the Yelp link above to learn details about the restaurant.

Okay, mind the mainsail, tacking now...

'Most rewarding project'
The architect for the restaurant, indeed the entire city block, was Howard Backen at the firm of Backen Arrigoni Ross (BAR). A San Francisco Chronicle headline once announced him as, "Napa's go-to architect for understated drama." Architect William Leddy states. "Howard is the strongest intuitive designer I've run across at picking up on the characteristic of a place." Backen's projects are not designed to make one gawk.

Backen has said of his own work, "It does what it has to do as simply as it can. There’s an underlying geometry, but no gymnastics at all." The Delancey Street project successfully recreates an atmosphere similar to an Italian seaside village on San Francisco's bayside Embarcadero.

Delancey Street Foundation
(Excerpt) "Delancey Street Foundation President Mimi Silbert called on Backen to 'be my pencil' in 1984 ... the client would be an organization where, according to the Delancey Street Foundation website, 'the average resident has been a hard-core drug and alcohol abuser, has been in prison, is unskilled, functionally illiterate, and has a personal history of violence and generations of poverty.'

'You couldn’t meet those guys and not take the job,' Backen recalls with a smile. 'That design was all listening. There’d be 200 people in a meeting, and they all wanted something that looked like ‘home’.'

That’s not easy to do with a 336,700-square-foot facility at Brannan Street and the Embarcadero in what then was a remote redevelopment district. Many building materials were to be donated, so Backen and BAR left blueprint details vague. Another reason to simplify: more workers than not were Delancey Street trainees.

'The general contractor, he had learned by taking courses in San Quentin,' Backen says. 'He was absolutely brilliant. He just had been in jail.'

Backen focused on watching out for the basics and keeping everyone grounded.

'Howard is the nicest man, and he never put on the ‘great architect’ act,' Silbert says. 'I’d come up with some terrible idea, and he’d listen and then say, ‘That’s good, but let me show you some other things’.'

As Delancey Street prepared to open in 1989, it was hailed as 'a masterpiece of contemporary social design' by The Chronicle’s then architecture critic, Allan Temko. The complex won awards for architecture and urban design from the American Institute of Architects. Backen [74 years old in 2010] still returns each year for the foundation’s seder.

'I love what’s there,' Backen says. 'In a lot of ways, it’s by far the most rewarding project I’ve taken part in.' "
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 9.5.2010

Delancey Street Restaurant

Source: BAR Architects - Delancey Street

ON TOPIC UPDATE:
"Hitting Bottom Can Be The Beginning" by Hank Whittemore
Parade Magazine, March 15, 1992
Source: Delancey Street Foundation > Print Media > 1992

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Post No. 287

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National Border Security: Wall Design

China, historical

Ancient extensive 'Great Wall' border barrier. Width of top surface provides access for guards and strategic equipment.

Source: pixabay

United States, current

Semi truck trailers or metal shipping containers aligned end-to-end can provide a temporary border barrier wall with a top surface for troops and equipment to move around, observe, or defend from an elevated position.

Source: K.C. ALFRED TNS

(Excerpt) "President Donald Trump said Thursday [4.5.2018] that he wants to send between 2,000 and 4,000 National Guard members to the U.S.-Mexico border to help federal officials fight illegal immigration and drug trafficking...

[This initial deployment] is lower than the 6,400 National Guard members that former President George Bush sent to the border between 2006 and 2008.

Trump said... 'we’ll probably keep them or a large portion of them until the wall is built.'”

Source: Anita Snow and Catherine Lucey | AP, 4.5.2018

On Topic:

Steel-and-concrete hybrid system

The essence of the steel-and-concrete hybrid system is that steel panels are used on the outside surfaces of wall cavities as forms for the cast-in-place concrete walls. The steel forms remain in place permanently to contribute reinforcement and speed construction time. Higher and higher modules of steel forms can be assembled, and concrete poured into the cavities, without waiting the usual period for the previously poured concrete to cure.

The usual array of professional consultants are responsible for producing drawings and specifications that define the requirements for construction in specific locations.

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Post No. 277

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SoCal Commute: Fires and Floods Close Hwy 101

Automobile roadway buried under mountainside debris

Source: Amtrak Pacific Surfliner passenger trains

Overburdened rail corridor temporarily expands passenger trains

(Excerpt) "During the prolonged closure of Highway 101, the Pacific Surfliner served as the only viable ground transportation option between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties...

Beginning on Sunday, January 14, we used the additional northern California equipment [eight additional railcars and three locomotives] to add an extra two to three cars and a second locomotive to each of our six-car Pacific Surfliner '700-series' trains operating north of Los Angeles, resulting in an extra 150-270 extra seats on each of the 10 daily trains serving Santa Barbara, or more than 2,000 additional seats per day. 

Pacific Surfliner trains will continue to operate between Ventura and Santa Barbara counties making all scheduled stops, including Oxnard, Ventura, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara and Goleta. Despite the additional seating capacity, however, demand for train transportation in the area remains high... Our hearts go out to all those affected by the mudslides, and I would like to thank our passengers for their patience and understanding during this difficult time as we continue to work with our community partners to support relief efforts and provide transportation to those impacted by this tragic situation."

Source: Jennifer L. Bergener,  714-560-5462, jbergener@octa.net
Managing Director, LOSSAN Rail Corridor Agency

Service Update Santa Barbara County

On Topic:
Commuters flood train stations in wake of Hwy 101 closure
Amtrak Adds Additional Pacific Surfliner
Union Pacific Railroad "...a freight hauling railroad"


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Post No. 276

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SalesForce Tower's Illuminated Crown

"Top of the Tower"
At San Francisco's (newest) most visible landmark.

Photo: QwkDrw

Photo: QwkDrw

Illuminated Crown

Artist Jim Campbell has conceived a set of installations for the summit of the tower that, he writes, are intended to be “part of the building, not a superficial add-on.” This will include low-resolution imagery projected onto the crown’s perforated metal skin by 11,000 LED lights.

Source: SF Chronicle

On Topic:
Landmark's Exterior LEDs Face Inward -- creates ambient presence


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Post No. 274

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SF Landmark Salesforce Tower 'bolted to life

Hong Kong: Two International Finance Centre

Source: wikiarquitectura

Two International Finance Centre (Two ifc)
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Year of Completion: 2003

Source: Hong Kong's Harbour and a "A Symphony of Lights"

San Francisco: Salesforce Tower
Architect: Cesar Pelli
Year of Topping Off: 2017

Inspired design.
A landmark building.
Imagined, honed, created
and given life...

...as if by a thunderbolt from heaven.

Source: #Lightning strikes the Salesforce Tower in San Francisco. pic.twitter.com/T01WHOLFt4

— Karl Mondon (@karlmondon) September 12, 2017

Height, Top Floors, and Views

Currently, the Salesforce tower in San Francisco is the tallest building (1070 feet) in America west of Chicago. It's good to have that honor back in The City.

Rather than designating the two top floors (60 and 61) for executive offices, Salesforce will keep them open to all employees and their guests.

"...and the views are astounding."

Source: CNBC


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Post No. 270

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Desperate Commuters: Silicon Valley workers in one occupant vehicles

Large commercial footprint and easy transit:

Box Inc. headquarters, Redwood City

Source: KQED News, 1.30.2015

Transportation Oriented Development (TOD)

Source: TOD at Redwood City Caltrain Station

Transportation + Housing + Jobs

A well planned urban region will efficiently link these elements together to provide and function well for the people, communities, and companies in the region. Good urban planning may be interdependent with these three elements in changing and creating the built environment for continued successes in Silicon Valley.

"...more workers are traveling longer distances on increasingly congested roads. Between 2010 and 2014, the proportion of workers who spent an hour or more getting to their jobs [in core Peninsula cities] jumped from 10 to nearly 15 percent...

Higher Rise + Higher Density + Transit-Oriented-Development
Policy experts argue that the key to bringing commute times under control is to address the underlying housing shortage. By building higher-density apartment buildings and townhouses near worksites and along public transit corridors, planners hope to house more workers on the Peninsula and reduce the need to commute from outlying areas.

That kind of dense housing can be a hard sell in suburban Silicon Valley, where residents often fight new construction they fear will worsen traffic and change the character of their communities...

Still, there are signs the worsening housing crunch is making residents more amenable to growth. Voters in Mountain View elected a pro-housing majority to the city council in 2014, community groups in several Peninsula cities are organizing to support new development, and Redwood City is building a cluster of tall new office and apartment buildings near its downtown Caltrain station...

NO Suburban Sprawl
[HOW]... Silicon Valley cities are willing to grow will affect everything from the region's carbon footprint, to whether it can retain teachers, to whether firefighters... will be around in a disaster.

'The Bay Area traditionally has not been the fastest growing region in the state... so it has been ill-prepared for the influx of new arrivals [with high-pay jobs in Silicon Valley].'"

Source: Peninsula Press, 4.6.2016

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Post No. 265

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Silicon Valley Needs Some New Highs...

Source: "Testas in the Trailer Park..."

HIGH walkability to local services, HIGH capacity rail transportation, HIGH density zoning, HIGH rise construction, and HIGH reduction of automobile traffic.

The cities and counties in the "Silicon Valley" (region or area) could become, in a phrase: a high functioning urban organism. See also (somewhere else): sustainable urban organism.

A Mostly New Reality
MOST high tech and other companies could have MOST of their employees living MOST of their lives MOSTLY within a fifteen minute commute to work -- probably not in a single driver automobile.


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Post No. 261

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Migrant Refugee Housing: Swedish summer houses?

MEDIA CREDIT: svd.se

Swedes with summer houses may rent to migrant refugees
(Excerpt) "Sweden’s generous asylum and migration policies have led to chronic housing shortages over the decade. The nation of under 10 million people admitted over 160,000 non-EU migrants last year, exacerbating the problem. Swedish public housing organisation SABO reports that almost half a million new homes must be built in the country just to meet demand."

Source: Breitbart News Network

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Post No. 258

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"As-of-Right" Real Property Development Approval

Housing proposals often have tough sledding through the rough and rocky snows of approval processes...

Photo below: Rendering of San Francisco's Treasure Island Plan proposal -- 20 years in-progress.

MEDIA CREDIT: SFist.com

California: Streamlining Affordable Housing Approvals

(Excerpt) "Any design review of the development shall not exceed ninety (90) days from the submittal of the development to the local government pursuant to this section, and shall not in any way inhibit, chill, or preclude the ministerial approval provided by this section and the effect thereof.

(e) A development that satisfies subdivision (b) of this section shall not be subject to the requirements of Section 65589.5 of the Government Code in order to be accorded by right status under this section.
(f) The review of a permit, license, certificate, or any other entitlement, including, but not limited to: the enactment and amendment of zoning or design review ordinances or guidelines, the issuance of zoning variances, the issuance of conditional use permits, and the approval of tentative subdivision maps, by any public agency with land-use authority over any development that satisfies subdivision (b) of this section shall be ministerial.
(g) This section shall be enforceable pursuant to a writ of mandate issued pursuant to Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure.

(h) The development applicant or development proponent may submit information describing the development pursuant to Government Code Section 65400.1(a).
(i) The Legislature finds and declares that this section shall be applicable to all cities and counties, including charter cities, because the Legislature finds that the lack of affordable housing is a matter of vital statewide importance.
(j) Any and all individuals displaced by a development that is approved through the ministerial process authorized by this section shall be accorded relocation assistance as provided in the California Relocation Assistance Act set forth in Section 7267.8 et seq.
(k) This section shall apply, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this code or in any other law."
Source: California Proposed Legislation -- Government Code Section 65400.1

On Topic:
Gov. Brown’s housing plan deserves passage

Bringing By-Right Affordable Housing to California

Regulatory Constraints
Development Rights
As-of-Right Uses and their Accessory Uses
NIMBY Syndrome


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Post No. 254

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