Part three
Re “Gross: Neighbors Said No to Low Income”
Resolute in defense of her colleagues on the last previous edition of the Redevelopment Agency (2001-2008) for being blameless in failing to meet their state-mandated threshold of building affordable housing units, Carol Gross said:
“In every case, there was the same reaction when a new project was proposed that included affordable housing — no.
“If I were up there (on the dais being criticized), I would be saying ‘Hey, don’t come to me and whine that we didn’t meet our quota. We tried. You guys shot down everything we tried. What else could we have down?’
“I have not heard of anyone else bringing up these issues.
“They need to be said.
“I am not talking about slapping the residents who have protested against affordable housing. I am saying that we have to look at this issue in the full context.
“We can’t stick our heads in the sand and say ‘no new housing.’ That is not what we were doing. Let’s look at the reality, folks,” said Ms. Gross.
“There were people in the community who said ‘I don’t want one unit of new housing built.’ But there were not people on the City Council saying that.”
