Best Housing Is Affordable

To outsiders, especially those who have never been here, Orange County often conjures the image of identical homes, row upon row, with the same orange tile roofs, same whitewashed walls, same regulations against any other colors.

The reality, fortunately, is different. There is room for those who like living behind gates in enclaves governed by rules ensuring no one will have a clunker up on blocks in the front yard. But there is at least as much room for those who embrace a more funky look and a neighborhood that’s urban, suburban or rural. Look at cities like Anaheim or Santa Ana, communities like Silverado or Orange Park Acres, and towns in between.

A Times Orange County poll of 600 people earlier this year found the majority saying they preferred the eclectic over the similar. The belief was that older sections of the county and even older sections of individual cities, with houses boasting front porches, gingerbread trim and different architectural styles, fostered a sense of community.

Some respondents said that it would be a tough choice between a house that is new and big and one that is old, has character but is smaller. But among those surveyed, the style of house and community meant less than the welcome and oft-expressed belief that a sense of community is important and that proposals to increase a feeling of neighborhood deserve favor.

An informal planning movement called the New Urbanism envisions a return to more old-fashioned communities, with a mix of housing and shopping, parks and businesses. There would not be gates. There would be an effort to reduce dependency on cars. The hoped-for result would be more neighbor-to-neighbor contact and small community organizations. That would be a good result.

But a sense of community, of being in this together, is not dependent on a mix of architectures and residents of different ages and ethnic groups. Irvine, known for its “villages” that have been master planned and look much the same to outsiders, has built a sense of shared mission around its schools, soccer leagues and civic groups. Leisure World developments in Laguna Hills and Seal Beach have limited occupancy to people at or near retirement age, but also have fostered a feeling of community.

For many residents in Orange County, the problem is not where to buy the house of their dreams but how to afford any house at all.

Even as the real estate market heats up in the current economic environment, the county continues to suffer from a shortage of affordable housing. Even in lower-cost cities that have not yet experienced the rekindled boom, houses often are too expensive for younger couples and those in lower-paying jobs.

Those priced out of home ownership also are finding it more difficult to pay rent. Real estate agents say apartment rents are going up. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department reported recently that Anaheim had one of the nation’s worst housing shortages, with more than 50,000 low-income families needing subsidized housing but many unable to find any. Many people spend close to half their monthly incomes on housing, even when crammed into substandard and overcrowded units.

The county can enjoy its mix of housing and homeowners can take pleasure in the reports that prices are either stable or increasing after years of declines. But there is a need to provide affordable housing to those at the lower end of the economic scale. It does neither companies nor workers any good to force employees to commute for hours to and from the Inland Empire because they cannot meet the cost of Orange County housing. The county and cities need to foster housing and transportation policies that encourage affordable housing and serve those who need it. They must encourage developers to provide less expensive units for those who are critical to the local economy.