Developers Warn State Faces Dangerous Housing Shortfall

SAN DIEGO-Multifamily developers warned Tuesday that a lethal combination of over-regulation and community opposition to apartments is hobbling attempts to solve California’s worsening housing crisis. “There’s a huge shortfall,” says Jim Pantagopoulos, VP of A.G. Spanos Cos., which has developed 8,500 luxury multifamily units throughout the US. “There’s a tremendous need, particularly for low- and moderate-income, and we’re just not producing it.

It’s fashionable to talk about smart-growth strategies, he says. But builders face obstructions at all levels, everything from multiple-species conservation plans to neighbors phobic about higher densities and the mistaken notion that new apartments are crime-attracting eyesores.