Palo Alto Daily Post: “Growth rate starting to slow”

New census data released at the end of March 2017 showed a slowed growth rate in some Bay Area communities, including San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Experts suggest this trend can be attributed to a number of variables, including high cost of living, slowed birth rates, and a lack of affordable housing.

Via the Daily Post:

Alina Harway, spokeswoman for Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, said it’s fair to say the area’s housing crisis is contributing to the trends shown by the census data.

“Increased housing costs and decreased housing availability are making it harder for families to stay here, (and) for employers to retain and recruit employees,” Harway said.

She pointed to the November election when Santa Clara County voters passed Measure A, an affordable housing bond, and San Mateo County voters passed Measure K, a half-cent sales tax with funds available for low-income housing.

These measures will generate “significant revenue to create more affordable housing opportunities for our communities,” Harway said. It’s unclear when this will be reflected in the census data, but she said it’s making a difference in the communities.

Read the full piece at the Daily Post. (PDF of story available here, continued.)