By Bruce Coons / SOHO Newsletter / September-October 2024
In politics, a good, simple story sells. The housing crisis has fueled a persistent myth among YIMBYs—that preservationists are a major obstacle to solving this pressing issue. This narrative is appealing in its simplicity, but it obscures the complex realities and nuanced role of historic preservation in our communities. This myth persists because many YIMBYs think that well-intentioned but misguided preservationists are blocking progress.
The “preservationists as villains” trope is emotionally satisfying for many because it provides a distinct culprit for the soaring home prices and rental scarcity we face today. But this portrayal is false. It completely overlooks the multifaceted nature of the housing crisis as well as the cultural, social, and economic value that preservation efforts bring to our neighborhoods.
Preservationists do not obstruct housing development. Rather, we seek to balance new construction with the protection of our cultural heritage—a goal that benefits everyone in all communities in both the short and long run. By maintaining the architectural character and history of neighborhoods, we enhance livability and property values, creating spaces and places that people want to call home.
SOHO makes it a priority to collaborate with developers to ensure that new projects respect the historical and cultural fabric of the surrounding area, thereby fostering a sense of place and continuity. This approach does not preclude growth; instead, it promotes sustainable, thoughtful development that fulfills both housing needs and the important preservation of our unique architectural and cultural assets.
We all can agree that the underlying causes of the housing crisis are complex. Preservationists advocate for policies that address the root causes while also protecting our collective cultural heritage. These policies can and should be mutually reinforcing. A balanced perspective can lead to more sustainable and inclusive solutions.
Historic preservation is not the enemy of housing affordability. In fact, it helps preserve Naturally Occurring Affordable Housing (NOAH), which is a crucial component of balanced, sustainable development. By debunking the false myth that preservationists are a primary obstacle to solving the housing crisis, we can focus instead on effective, inclusive policies that target the problem’s real causes and promote vibrant, livable communities that celebrate our shared history and culture.
YIMBYs will forever bulldoze any sane urban planning to promote their self-serving agenda: to quickly expand housing in the form of condo towers (i.e. high-rise gated communities) in human-scaled neighborhoods for the latte and Tesla crowd.
They are mere proxies for big developers and big tech (follow the money). They’ve latched onto ‘affordable housing’ as a way to legitimize their disproved arguments about supply-and-demand and actual affordability. They care nothing about affordability, don’t support tenant protections, and could care less about the resulting gentrification as their urban vision is realized.
It’s no wonder that historic preservation is in their cross-hairs since there’s no financial incentive to preserve low-rise older buildings standing in the way of said condo towers and massive profits for developers.
I read Bruce Coons article on Historic Preservation with interest. In truth, the City Council and Planning Commission have authorized over 9,000 low income housing units to be demolished in order to build high rise/high rent apartments or condominiums with zero plan for helping the people un-housed by demolition of their rental units. I have watched this happen for over six decades in San Diego. The least expensive housing are the older houses and apartment buildings. In the 1960s-1980s, developers worked with housing authorities to convert large commercial buildings into housing units, such as the Citrus Soap Factory and the Wonder Bread Factory. But when interest rates dropped to 1%, realtors drove property values through the glass ceiling and now as the interest rates rose, low income people were forced out of the housing market. Working closely with the historic preservation community is the way to keeping housing costs truly affordable. This should be the war cry of the City Council!
Exactly. Unfortunately, the current council members and their corrupt leader have zero common sense and are beholden to developers, not their constituents.
I agree that historic designation has been misused across the decades, when a cluster of studios best described as shoeboxes are called examples of minimalist architecture. However, this current climate of seeing Historic Preservation in the same category of “evil”as Single Family Zoning is absurd. Generations of San Diegans created our community plans, mostly reflecting the desires of the community. Currently there are maps that show where unlimited bonus ADUs are allowed. For the moment, for as long as it lasts, those are the only parts of the Peninsula you might consider investing in for your home. For as long as it lasts.
Correction: those areas of unlimited bonus ADUs are the areas you DON’T want to invest in for your home. There is no way to know what the future will bring and if your slice of peninsula heaven will become a 6 story affordable housing hive.