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ATTACHMENT 2 Affordable housing: Silicon Valley region's planners need to provide more of it By Michael Hirahara Special to the Mercury News San Jose Mercury News Posted: 4-15-13 The Bay Area needs more homes that connect easily to jobs and transportation, without compromising the open spaces and natural beauty that make this a great place to live. The promise of a lifestyle that includes easy access to nature, local food and wine and abundant recreation opportunities helps local industries attract the best and the brightest. But the lack of affordable homes close to city centers,jobs and public transportation puts both employees and businesses at a disadvantage; even though our economy is gaining ground, we can't afford to lose good people due to the high cost of living. Two influential regional planning agencies have introduced a new draft master plan for living in the Bay Area during the next 25 years, including recommendations on housing,jobs, transportation and the environment. Public hearings on Plan Bay Area are underway, and from a business perspective, the number one public policy concern is affordable homes for the employees we need to remain competitive. This point was emphasized in the 2013 Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO survey in which, once again, executives named high housing costs as the top challenge in attracting and retaining employees. Businesses, regional agencies and communities need to work together to make sure that locally identified development opportunities move forward. "Priority Development Areas" are close to city centers and transportation and resolve the housing crunch, long commute times and traffic gridlock. In addition,thoughtful planning for homes will support intelligent infrastructure development, such as roads and water lines; positioning the right amount of infrastructure in the right places will lower costs and increase utilization in the long-term. San Jose has taken a leadership role in this realm. On the North First Street corridor near Brocade's headquarters, there are many apartments and condominiums available for our employees. Up to 30,000 more homes are planned for the corridor, with several developments under construction. These homes are all served by light rail transit and are less than a mile from open space and recreation including the Guadalupe River trail that connects North San Jose to the downtown core and beyond. This approach to affordable housing and planning is important as we strive to attract and retain premium talent. There is a direct correlation between jobs, homes and economic growth. Proximity to jobs means less commuting, more personal time and a better quality of life. By accommodating the housing need, we can successfully attract employees, add jobs and grow our local economy. But none of this will happen if the cost of doing business isn't competitive with other areas, like Austin or Denver. With political and local leadership on affordable homes, we can continue to enjoy the natural areas that are so vital to our lifestyle while helping the Bay Area business community attract and retain the work force it needs to thrive. I urge planners and communities throughout the Bay Area to support and invest in developing more homes near city centers. In doing so, we will not only protect our natural assets, we can secure the Bay Area's economic future. Michael Hirahara is vice president of Global Real Estate, Facilities and Services at Brocade and a member of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group's Housing and Land Use Committee. He wrote this for this newspaper.