The 2017-2018 Board Members of Willow Glen Neighborhood Association voted in favor of issuing a new position paper in favor of Affordable Teacher Housing at 2119 Lincoln Avenue, assessor’s parcel #439-08-059, and San Jose General Plan project file #GP17-005.  The text of that letter is copied in the below, as well as that it can be viewed and downloaded in a PDF document format from our website at the "Position Papers" web page.  From our home page, see the tab for Position Papers, as well as look for the tab and pull down option on Meetings>Presentations to see the Board Meeting presentation on this topic.   Sarah Chaffin, owner of the property and the leader of "Support Teacher Housing" (the cause) has appeared at WGNA meetings, as recorded in WGNA Board Meeting agendas and minutes.

Subject: Affordable Teacher Housing

Mayor Sam Liccardo, and San Jose City Council,

San Jose is Capital of Silicon Valley, and our tech and knowledge companies need more educated tech workers, entrepreneurs, and startups which are produced by the graduates of our local schools.  We need students who develop and can be hired as workers and professionals in Silicon Valley like all the other globalized talent that's employed in our world-class city and its greater region.

Our very diverse multi-language families need great teachers to educate all of our children, not just children that are fortunate to attend better schools rather than the low performing schools.

The basis of great education for future well-paying employment opportunities starts in elementary school and continues through high school and beyond. Unfortunately, many of our children do not receive the needed education for better-paying jobs. So, San Jose is where Silicon Valley comes to find low-income service workers.

Currently, many teachers start their teaching careers in San Jose but leave for better-paying teaching and other jobs in the neighboring, wealthy local cities.  Otherwise, they move to other California cities — if not other U.S. states  — because they cannot afford to rent or buy a home, even in San Jose’s lower income neighborhoods.

Our federal, state, and local governments do not have money to provide sufficient affordable teaching or entry level government employee housing; so, private individuals and companies are building teachers' housing in other cities. 

San Jose provides tens of millions of dollars in tax subsidies to residential housing developers, as well as that our city makes exceptions to zoning and the city's general plan for cases of “public good”.  Likewise, the City of San Jose can benefit its residents by doing the same for private developers who are proposing a project for teachers and entry-level government employees.  This project benefits the very persons who provide valuable services for our residents and our children; therefore, in that sense, this too is a “public good”, especially when it has no (or very small) cost to the City of San Jose and its taxpayers.

The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association supports the San Jose Planning Commission recommendation to support Affordable Teacher Housing at 2119 Lincoln Avenue, assessor’s parcel #439-08-059, and San Jose General Plan project file #GP17-005.  We urge the City Council to approve this project.

Best,

Richard Zappelli, Board President, WGNA

A HEARING FOR "SUPPORT TEACHER HOUSING" OCCURS on AUGUST 8th at CITY HALL: 
This cause for affordable teacher housing is asking for your support, as well as for you to show up in good numbers at city hall.  
Join teachers, educators, neighborhood parents, and students!