Housing Committee

The goal of the Housing committee is to transform the policies and practices that have historically resulted in Piedmont’s status as a racially segregated enclave. We are currently focused on:

 

1. Educating our community about the history of racial segregation in Piedmont

 

Watch the recording of our panel on “Racial Segregation and Housing in Piedmont: How Did We Get Here? What Can We Do About It?” 

 

Read about the tragic story of Sidney Dearing, the first Black homeowner in Piedmont who was driven out of town.

 

2. Reforming the city’s exclusionary single-family zoning to allow for multi-family housing.

 

Minneapolis, Sacramento, and Berkeley have all taken steps to end single-family zoning, a type of exclusionary zoning that had deep historical ties to racial segregation. We are working to enact similar changes in Piedmont, including by advocating for state legislation to make it easier to dismantle exclusionary zoning.

 

3. Advocating for the construction of diverse and affordable housing in Piedmont.

 

We are studying opportunities to build more affordable housing in Piedmont, including accessory dwelling units (ADUs), multifamily buildings, duplexes, triplexes, and fourplexes. Read our opinion piece “Affordable Housing in Piedmont: Yes We Can!” in the Piedmont Exedra.

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Committee Chairs: Irene Cheng and Deborah Leland

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