Robert Reich is a NIMBY

Robert Reich, author of The System: Who Rigged It, wants to help the poor and homeless by….blocking infill development on his street:

The “character” of his North Berkeley neighborhood was originally the result of racially restrictive covenants. After the courts outlawed the covenants, they were replaced by zoning rules which served the same purpose. Berkeley was one of the first cities in the country to use zoning this way.

And sadly, it is not the first time Dr. Reich has proposed keeping the working poor as far away as possible:

 

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Build that Wall 10 Feet Higher

Build that wall 10 feet higher…and make the apartment dwellers pay for it:

A 24-unit apartment building at 1057 Freeway Drive cleared its final hurdle Tuesday with its approval by the City Council. The project by the developer James Keller will create a cluster of two-bedroom rental dwellings close to a freeway, school, athletic fields and outlet shops – as well a string of houses on Bremen Court, some of whose owners spoke out against a gate that would have linked the apartments to the street.

Although the gate would be far too small for motor vehicles, residents still urged the council to eliminate it from the plan – and ask for more solid fencing around the apartments – amid concerns a new walkway would lead to increased traffic and trespassing.

The Keller Apartments sailed through a Planning Commission vote last month with little controversy, but details of its links to surrounding streets aroused worries among many who live on Bremen Court, including some who moved into the then-new neighborhood in the early 1990s partly because of its quietness.

Opening the way from apartments to a long-quiet street would erode the safety of those living, walking and especially playing on Bremen Court, argued Maricela Lopez, a resident since 1990. “Being the mother of a 9-year-old girl, having access for anyone to walk by, how can I as a mom be making dinner while making sure she’s safe out there?” she asked council members with her daughter by her side.

Walling off the apartment dwellers won’t make the neighborhood safer (quite the opposite in fact). And the barrier will reduce the walkability of the development, especially with the only access being a freeway frontage road.

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