Google’s next big project will be in the Bay Area’s
most populous city, San Jose, where it plans to
build a corporate campus consisting of offices
and housing where 15,000 to 20,000 of its
employees will work and live.
The project faced resistance from community
activists worried about its effect on housing
prices. Last week, a report by Working
Partnerships called upon Google to build more
than 17,000 homes in the area to help offset the
anticipated price increases caused by the new
campus. The report by the labor-union backed
labor group envisions apartment rent increases
of $235 million by 2030 if action isn’t taken.
“For several months, we have encouraged
Google to make a bold commitment to address
our region’s affordable housing challenge,” San
Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement
applauding the company’s $1 billion pledge.