Mar 1st, 2012
by Sylvia Walker
In a previous post, I wrote about the Irvine city council’s most recent encounter with the California Housing Element. Since the housing element will be fundamental in determining what is built or not built in Irvine, I thought I would review the document. Following is part of what I found.
Irvine’s housing element has many aspects, and one of these is a survey of the condition of Irvine’s housing stock. That is what I’ll look at today. The following information, which can be found in Irvine’s most recent housing element (2008-2014 Irvine Housing Element), is based on the 2008 Housing Conditions Survey. This survey focuses on seven areas in Irvine with high levels of older homes that were built before 1990. Therefore, not all Irvine neighborhoods are listed below. Note that much of the text found below is taken directly from the 2008-2014 Irvine Housing Element.
Here is a map of the areas that are the focus of the survey:
Read the rest of this entry »
There are some great discussions around Irvine real estate taking place in the Talk Irvine forums. Take a look and join in!
Feb 9th, 2012
by Sylvia Walker
“We are, in fact, at the Great Park creating a living laboratory for innovation.”—Beth Krom, Irvine’s Mayor Pro Tem
Photo courtesy energy.gov
As I’ve said and written many times before, Irvine is always on the cutting edge of development. This spirit of innovation is in Irvine’s DNA. It goes back to the ranch days and continues today. Some love the results; others hate it. But whatever side of this divide you fall on, it’s the cutting edge. It’s innovation.
Today Irvine is adding another first: The Great Park in Irvine will be the first site outside of Washington D.C. to host the U.S. Department of Energy’s Solar Decathlon. The DOE Solar Decathlon consists of students from schools of higher education, both U.S. and international, competing to build homes that are not only energy efficient but also marketable. In other words, potential buyers like the look of them and are comfortable with the price. This biennial competition was launched in 2002 and has attracted more than 100,000 visitors.
Read the rest of this entry »
Feb 6th, 2012
by Sylvia Walker
My name is Sylvia Walker, and I am the writer and publisher of the Sweet Orange Housing blog. I grew up in Orange County; however, at the age of twenty I decided to venture out and see what the rest of the world looked like. Eventually, I ended up in the Silicon Valley area and spent many years there. While in the Silicon Valley, I worked as a freelance writer for high-tech companies such as Applied Materials, National Semiconductor, Applied Biosystems, and Oracle Corporation.
I enjoyed my time in the San Francisco Bay Area and working in the high-tech industry; however, fate intervened, and I returned to Orange County. Currently, I am pursuing freelancing, but I am shifting my focus to public policy, sustainability, cleantech and land use issues.
There is this thing out there called the California housing element. This document plays a decisive role in determining what gets built in California cities and counties. Since this document is so influential in shaping local housing policies, understanding how the housing element works is worthwhile. Therefore, I will give a more in-depth description in an upcoming post. At this time, knowing it is out there is enough. Now on to Irvine’s latest encounter with the housing element.
Read the rest of this entry »
