Stephen J. Cloobeck

Strategies for Expanding Affordable Housing | Global Conference 2025

Jennifer Sondag, Stephen J. Cloobeck, Scott Epstein, Martin Muoto, Shane Phillips, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

A high-stakes panel on California's housing crisis converges on the conclusion that a five-million-unit supply shortage, exacerbated by regulatory burdens like CEQA and restrictive zoning, necessitates urgent legislative and structural reform. Key figures including developer Martin and gubernatorial candidate Stephen Zake advocate for dismantling bureaucratic barriers, citing cost disparities between inefficient nonprofit construction and private sector models, while highlighting successful precedents in Cambridge and New Zealand. The discussion culminates in a strategic pivot toward public-private partnerships and single-family upzoning, arguing that aligning private capital with social impact is essential to resolve the workforce housing mismatch and lower costs for essential workers.