Supervisor Simitian’s statement on the Housing Authority’s presentation of redevelopment plans

“It’s been a long journey since our County came together in 2017 with the City of Palo Alto and the Santa Clara County Housing Authority to purchase the Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. That partnership provided extraordinary and tremendously gratifying results: preventing the eviction of nearly 400 Palo Alto residents, protecting 117 units of desperately needed affordable housing, and preserving the 4.5-acre site for affordable housing for the indefinite future.

Of course, since that time the Bay Area’s housing affordability crisis has only worsened, making it harder and harder for folks of modest means, the working-class residents who fill the jobs that make our community run, to make their homes here.

Some years ago I described our efforts to “Save the Buena Vista” as a test of whether or not our region remained a place of inclusivity and opportunity. Initially, at least, I think we passed that test.

But if we really want to say we passed the test, then we have to follow through on efforts to improve the Park; to ensure that residents continue to have a safe and vibrant place to live within our community. For that reason I’m pleased to see the project move into this next phase. Candidly, it has taken longer to get to this point than it should.

And yet, tonight’s discussion is in some respects only the beginning of the conversation; there are many details that will need to be refined over the coming months in close partnership with the residents and other stakeholders, focusing on several core priorities:

• Revitalizing the Park’s infrastructure and amenities;
• Preserving ownership opportunities and the character of the mobile home park;
• Ensuring that all current residents have a place in the new development if they want it; and,
• Creating new additional units so Palo Alto can provide an affordable place to live for even more of our neighbors.

Done right, the Housing Authority’s plan for redevelopment could actually increase the number of affordable housing units, upgrade the living environment for all who call Buena Vista home, and preserve the sense of community that is unique to the Buena Vista. Which is to say, it’s important to get this right.

There’s more work to be done, and I look forward to hearing more from the community and City Council, as we have tonight; especially from the current residents as they make this project something our city and our region can be proud of.”