Realtors support expansion of housing opportunities in Antioch, East County
Hello. My name is James Britto.
I am a third generation Antiochan.
I am a homeowner, Mello Roos taxpayer, small business owner, and I am also President of the Delta Association of REALTORS® for 2015.
Antioch and the entire East Contra Costa region have experienced a great recovery of value in our properties. This has tremendously impacted many owners, positively. With a recovery of equity, they can refinance to improve their properties, put more money into our local economy, or sell their property. All of these create jobs and revenue and are good for our economy.
Inventory is still low in our area for the amount of demand there is for housing. This has contributed to the prices rising steadily, combined with a favorable mortgage market.
What we are coming to see more and more, are individuals and families coming from 30, 50, 70, 90 miles away or more to seek affordable housing here, yet their jobs are elsewhere, often Oakland, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Sacramento, Modesto… you name it, we have people who work there…. Spending two to three hours a day, often each way, to find what they need… good jobs and affordable housing.
The Delta Association of REALTORS® strongly supports the expansion of housing opportunities and programs that support average to median income earners being able to afford to buy and occupy homes and work where they live. It’s better for families, cities, the environment, and the economy. Commuters spend money elsewhere since they are not local a majority of their time.
We want to be a partner with the City of Antioch, as well as other local municipalities, to work together on options and opportunities to expand options for people with good jobs, good credit, and a desire to live in a home and work near home. The opportunities for Antioch and all of East County are improving, especially with the eventual arrival of eBART, but we have to expedite our work with attracting employers and job opportunities, now, not in 10 years, and finding ways to assist individuals who meet the criteria, to buy and occupy a home of their own in our terrific Delta region.
Thank you.
James Britto, President, Delta Association of REALTORS®
Antioch
Well James , I not suprised that your org is supporting
Housing development, since they only think about
Their own pocket and not a second about the other
105,000 people.
We have seen during measure c and o, how out
Of town real estate companies have supported
Special interest with “investing” hundredth
Of thausend of dollars.
For the last 30 years , everybody has promised
“Just one more ” development , and everything
Will turn around.
Just look around, nothing has turned around.
This down town property needs to be developed
With the vision it’s an investment into down town
Most important for ALL antioch residents , not
Just as profit cow for investors, real estate agents,
And a few buyers/ renters.
Most important .
This issue needs to be on a ballot , do people can
Vote on it.
Two of our council members are in real estate
That alone is scary
We do not need more development of any kind in Antioch. It is development that has created the problems we have today. Nothing more should be started until this city is cleaned up, the schools are improved to something we can be proud of and the homeless and hunger problems are solved. We should not be feeding our children 3 meals in our schools, that is what parents are for. Cut out the welfare and start making people work for the 50/60 thousand a year they are receiving in welfare.
Bring in new businesses and light manufacturing, so that Antioch and the East County region can create a greater and more efficient infrastructure and economy. Your article mentions people driving throughout the Bay Area for work, while living in the East County region, “…Spending two to three hours a day, often each way, to find what they need…” This is an awful way to make a living, spending nearly as much time in traffic as in the office.
Developing good paying jobs in the East County region is good for everybody and not just realtors and property investors.
I work in the insurance restoration industry and visit a great deal of East County properties, which have been turned into meth labs or illegal hydroponic-pot-cultivation shacks from what used to be beautiful middle class homes. The “affordable” areas of East County are troubled with crime and a sense of hopelessness and fatherlessness.
I agree that East County does not need more affordable housing, but rather solid carrier type jobs, light duty commercial and light industrial, such as the tech industry. Do this, and everyone will be much happier and have more time for a better quality of living and a better quality community. Once the region can create and sustain good paying jobs and the infrastructure has been improved to handle additional residents then the region can create any (needed) affordable housing.
It would be better to encourage and create good paying jobs rather than increase the number of “affordable housing units.” Its one thing to be a bedroom community with middle class incomer earners, than to be an affordable housing community without jobs!