"I said it then and I'll say it again now: I love this city. I also think we're at a turning point. Change is hardand inevitable. Our bodies age, jobs shift, no two days look the same. Change can be beautiful when we understand it and frightening when we don't. Saratoga itself is proof: This place was once orchards. Generations before us chose to allow homes, and that choice is why most of usmy family, yourscan live here at all."
"Let's talk prices plainly. The median cost of a home in Saratoga is roughly $4 millionamong the highest in the region and the country. By contrast, many of our neighboring cities sit closer to $1.8 million to $2.8 million, in part because they've built more types of housing than just single-family homes. More variety creates more points of entry for young families, public servants and early-career professionals. That's exactly what we need to do here."
"We're not talking about dragging down anyone's home value; we're talking about adding housing stock at a range of price points so more people who contribute to Saratoga can actually live here. The numbers tell a story. Many of our schools are seeing year-over-year enrollment declines; local administrators now whisper about whether campuses might need to close. Our youth soccer leagues have about a third as many players as when I was a kid."
Saratoga has become significantly more expensive, with a median home price near $4 million, making homeownership inaccessible for many essential workers and young families. Neighboring cities show lower median prices partly because they built a wider mix of housing types rather than only single-family homes. The migration of teachers, police officers and other public servants to more distant cities weakens local ties and strains community life. School enrollments and youth sports participation are declining, suggesting fewer young families remain. Increasing housing variety and adding units at multiple price points can create more entry points without lowering existing home values and can help preserve community cohesion.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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