CURBED SAN FRANCISCO: WHO ARE THE BAY AREA’S NIMBYS—AND WHAT DO THEY WANT?

“The caricature of a NIMBY is someone with a screw-you-I’ve-got-mine attitude, either a wealthy, white homeowner who thinks renters lower property values or a nostalgic progressive opposed to neighborhood change.

“In reality, NIMBY stands for “Not In My Backyard.” And in the context of housing policy, the abbreviation refers to residents who broadly oppose new housing construction in their communities. NIMBYs have become the scapegoat of the Bay Area housing crisis.

“In protest of the Plan Bay Area process, the North Bay town of Corte Madera pulled out of the Association of Bay Area Governments entirely, and instituted a year-long moratorium on new housing development. Larkspur, Corte Madera’s twin city, abandoned plans to open a transit hub in the city, sending $600,000 down the drain.

“The coalition also had success lobbying for statewide bills. Marin County’s state representative, Marc Levine, passed a 2014 bill reclassifying Marin County as “suburban” rather than “urban” for planning purposes. The bill has been criticized by nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California for allowing Marin County to get away with building little to no affordable housing.”

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