We are pro-housing. Period.
At Generation Build, housing is our core mission. We advocate for it all: for all types, at all levels. Unlike some organizations, we aren’t afraid to engage in the tough political conversations that others shy away from. That’s because we know real progress requires bold action, not empty platitudes. To solve our housing and affordability crisis, we need leaders who will make change happen, not leaders who just talk about it.
So let’s be blunt: The Central Coast needs more homes. A lot more.
We need apartments, townhomes, and single-family homes. RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Assessment) numbers offer one perspective on need, but we can’t afford to dismiss market-rate housing just because it isn’t exclusively affordable. Pitting market-rate housing against deed-restricted affordable housing has worsened our crisis. We need both.
Housing Authorities, People’s Self-Help Housing, and market-rate developers are all a part of the solution. We need projects like Dove Creek in Atascadero; like HASLO’s new affordable homes in Arroyo Grande; like CCB’s projects in Grover Beach; like Solomon Hills in Orcutt.
We need robust housing options at all levels.
The opposition to housing is loud, but that doesn’t mean it’s right.
Some people don’t want change. They like our county as it is and will fight to keep it that way. They often live near new developments, have time to organize against them, and ironically sometimes even claim to support housing—just not this housing. These folks push for delays and reductions that make projects less viable.
Meanwhile, those who do want new homes—young families, professionals, and longtime residents—often don’t have the time or resources to fight for them. They’re busy working, raising kids, and contributing to our community. And yet, they’re the ones who struggle the most to find a place to live.
It’s the haves versus the have nots.
Housing approvals shouldn’t require a fight.
It shouldn’t take exhaustive advocacy to approve housing. New construction is a societal necessity, and it should be a given, not a battle. Young people shouldn’t have to beg elected officials for the chance to pursue living in their own community.
A large portion of our county land is protected open space. We have hundreds of thousands of acres protected in various forms of conservation. Infill and greenfield spaces that have been identified for development need to be allowed to be developed. Prior height limits and parking restrictions should be reconsidered; and we all need to embrace that change is a part of living.
Yes, new housing often has environmental impacts. But the assumption that no impact is the only acceptable impact is unrealistic. Projects subject to CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review are conditioned with rigorous environmental mitigation; to pretend otherwise is dishonest. Worse, CEQA’s broad scope allows for frequent lawsuits that drive up costs and delay housing for years, often at little expense to those filing them. We’ve seen this with almost all of the large housing projects approved in our county in recent years. This process isn’t just inefficient, it’s immoral and costly for those of us who would like to live there. If a housing project meets the requirements and gets approved, it should be built.
Supply and demand is real.
When demand is high and supply is low, prices rise. That’s not an opinion, that’s basic economics. Yet new market-rate housing is often vilified, even by people who live in it. Government- or grant-funded affordable housing is important, but it alone won’t fix our crisis. Blocking market-rate housing while claiming to advocate for affordability is textbook NIMBYism and is ultimately anti-housing.
To quote a favorite YIMBY phrase: Abundant housing is affordable housing.
The housing crisis is not just a policy failure, it’s a refusal to accept how markets work. Until we allow more housing of all types, affordability will remain out of reach.
So what’s the solution?
Elect leaders who will fight for housing. We need officials who prioritize the future, not those who cling to the past. At Generation Build, we call it as it is and are not afraid to call out a politician’s anti-housing actions even when they claim to be “pro-housing.” Housing needs to be a bipartisan issue, and we see politicians on both sides of the aisle help and hurt this cause. We need Republicans and Democrats to hold their own parties accountable to increasing our housing supply.
Move beyond endless discussions. Roundtables that don’t lead to action waste time and create the illusion of progress. We know what we need: the ability to build more housing. Discussions of “unique” housing solutions like down payment assistance are nice to have, but those programs will never address the real solution: We just need more homes. Supply and demand is the root of the issue, and we need to quite literally build our way out of this crisis.
Make our county a place where developers want to build. That means streamlining approvals, making the approval process predictable, reducing counterproductive fees, and working with developers, not against them. Politicians who approach housing with arrogance and obstructionism aren’t helping. They are hurting the young families and working class of this area.
We hope you will join us in building a future where we all can live and thrive. Please email generationbuildcc@gmail.com to connect with us. Let’s build!
Generation Build is a 70-plus member pro-housing group in SLO County. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Aug 14-24, 2025.