Middle class and wealthy Americans face their worst fears as the Biden administration moves ahead with its plan to build low-income housing in the suburbs.
NBA star Steph Curry, 34, and his wife, Ayesha, 33, are among the wealthy Atherton, CA. residents who oppose low-income housing in their backyard.
The Golden State Warriors star and Ayesha, a TV chef, wrote a letter to the Atherton City Council opposing the construction of 16 low-income townhouses at 23 Oakwood Boulevard, on the same street as their $31 million mansion.
The 1.52 acre property at 23 Oakwood Boulevard belongs to David Arata who inherited the land from his mother. Arata told The Almanac the housing project will resemble a “little village” instead of a big apartment building.
The Currys are concerned that the housing project poses a threat to the “safety and privacy” of their children, daughters Riley, 10, and Ryan, 7, and four year old son, Canon.
In their letter, dated January 18, the Currys were careful to clarify that they’re not snobs. They support the program, but they asked that the townhouses be built elsewhere, according to the DailyMail.com.
“As Atherton residents… we have been following along with the housing element updates with special interest in the 23 Oakwood property,” the Currys wrote.
“We hesitate to add to the ‘not in our backyard’ (literally) rhetoric, but we wanted to send a note before today’s meeting. Safety and privacy for us and our kids continues to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home.”
At the minimum, the Currys requested that plans for the new townhomes include taller fences and extensive landscaping which would block views into their property.
“We kindly ask that the town adopts the new housing element without the inclusion of 23 Oakwood,” they wrote. “Should that not be sufficient for the state, we ask that the town commits to investing in considerably taller fencing and landscaping to block sight lines onto our family’s property.”
The Currys, pictured in 2008, moved into their Atherton, CA. home in 2019. The Atherton city council will hold its final vote on the housing project on January 31.
Atherton’s city council is complying with the Biden administration’s request to lift boundaries that prohibit low-income housing in suburbia.
The Biden administration requires state and local governments to submit “equity plans” to the federal government to loosen zoning restrictions that discourages public housing in the suburbs.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) submitted a proposed rule earlier this month to force local governments to comply with lifting the boundaries.
The boundaries were established as white people migrated from high-crime urban areas to suburbs and rural areas. The movement became known as “white flight.”
The new requirements, part of a rule known as “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing,” follows through on a provision of the 1968 Fair Housing Act law to eliminate historical segregation.
“This proposed rule is a major step towards fulfilling the law and advancing our legal, ethical, and moral charge to provide equitable access to opportunity for all,” said Biden’s HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge.
