Welcome to the September Housing and Construction issue of NorthBay biz magazine. Seems like time has been speeding up. Here it is, barely August, and in a couple of weeks we’ll be assigning stories for our December Growth/No Growth issue. In fact, we’re already planning next year’s editorial calendar. Unlike a daily newspaper, deadlines months in advance are normal in the magazine business.
In addition to all our stories and special features, we’re also introducing a new column this month. “Napa Insider,” written by Kathleen Dreessen, joins the ranks of our other fine regular columns. Kathleen is the communications director of the Napa Chamber of Commerce as well as a long-established freelance writer. She’s written several novels and her work has appeared in local, regional and national publications. She’s a 20-year resident of Napa, founded the Napa Women’s Club evening edition and is the immediate past president of Leadership Napa Valley. Look for Kathleen to deliver the inside scoop on what’s hot—not only in the Napa wine industry, but also on the whole business scene in Napa Valley.
We’ve also just received word that our editorial cartoonist, Justin DeFreitas, won three more awards for his cartoons. Justin, who’s been penning “North Bay Chronicles” for NorthBay biz for more than six years, took first place in the California Newspaper Publisher’s Association in the non-daily division, first place from the East Bay Press Club and first place in the Greater Bay Area Journalism Awards which is sponsored by the San Francisco Peninsula Press Club—all for editorial cartooning. I’d like to share a couple of quotes associated with Justin winning these awards:
“No one can match DeFreitas’ sharp quill.”—East Bay Press Club.
“Whatever you’re paying him, it’s not enough.”—Justin DeFreitas’ mother.
We can only add our congratulations, Justin. You’re certainly deserving of all the accolades and have contributed considerably to the editorial success of NorthBay biz.
What can I say about the North Bay’s lack of affordable housing that hasn’t already been said? Probably not much, but a couple of things that contribute greatly to this problem seem to be consistently overlooked. Here in the North Bay (as well as in most of California), the lack of affordable housing is bemoaned by government officials, employers, housing activists, new arrivals to the state and just regular folks looking to buy a home for themselves and their family. It’s often believed that developers or builders are the heavies in this scenario, and they’re blamed for overcharging to reap huge profits. Rarely, it seems, do we hear of the other factors driving the cost of homes into the stratosphere.
Next time you hear of new, 2,000-square-foot homes being sold for less than $200,000 in Texas, Nevada or numerous other states, ask yourself how it’s possible. And, if they’re doing it at that price, why can’t we do it here? It simply comes down to two things that are working against us here in California—the cost of land and government-imposed fees.
Land and lot prices are extremely high for a reason—there’s an insufficient supply of land available for building. It’s not that we’re really short of buildable land, but that, given the prevailing policies of local governments and the power of the “no growth” crowd, what land can be built on commands top dollar. Even the smallest lots bring more than $100,000 in today’s market—and I’m being extremely conservative in this estimate. Now throw in engineering, architectural plans and other soft costs to the tune of about $10,000, and you’re ready to go to your city or county building department for your permit. Here’s where sticker shock will really set in. Be prepared, depending on where you plan to live and what size house you’re building, to pay your “housing impact fees.” They’ll knock your socks off. These fees add thousands to the cost of your new home and can easily exceed $50,000. In some places around the state, they’re more than $100,000. So before you’ve purchased a single two-by-four or driven a single nail, your costs are approaching $200,000. That’s the same $200,000 people are paying elsewhere. The only difference is, they get a new home included for that price. Having spent almost $200,000, you still have to build yours.
At this point, I was going to segue into some thoughts on how the drive to reduce the use of fossil fuels and aid the environment by using more ethanol in our vehicles might be having an opposite effect. However, because I’m almost out of space, that topic will have to wait until next month. Instead, I’ll fill the remaining space with some humorous neologisms gleaned from the Internet.
The following is attributed to the Washington Post’s annual contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words. I’m not sure if these really came from the Post, but I do know they’re pretty funny:
1. Coffee (n.), the person upon whom one coughs.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you’ve gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Willy-nilly (adj.), impotent.
6. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absentmindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
7. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
8. Gargoyle (n.), olive-flavored mouthwash.
9. Flatulence (n.), emergency vehicle that picks you up after you’re run over by a steamroller.
10. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
11. Testicle (n.), a humorous question on an exam.
12. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified bearing adopted by proctologists.
13. Pokemon (n.), a Rastafarian proctologist.
14. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddishisms.
15. Frisbeetarianism (n.), the belief that, when you die, your soul flies up on the roof and gets stuck there.
16. Circumvent (n.), an opening in the front of boxer shorts worn by Jewish men.
That’s it for now. Enjoy this month’s magazine.
