George Lucas Has a Right to Build Affordable Housing Even If His Neighbors Disagree

Back in 2012, George Lucas tried to build a production studio for his company, Lucasfilm, on his Grand Ranch property in California’s Marin County. The median household income of Marin County is $90,000. The county’s board of supervisors protested the construction of the production studio, citing noise, traffic, and environmental concerns. Lucas eventually yielded to the collective wisdom of the council and ended the project

Instead, Lucas proposed building affordable housing in 2013, using money from Lucas Valley Estates Homeowners Association. Once again, the neighborhood protested the project, arguing that the drug dealers, crime, and lowlifes would destroy the character of the county and drop property values.

Earlier this month, Lucas proposed to continue with his affordable housing project, but with his own money this time. The 52-acre project would cost about $200 million and would include a community center, swimming pool, farm, gardens, bridges, and bus stops. Lucas told the media through his lawyer that “We have enough housing for millionaires here; we need some housing for regular working people.”

Lucas Strikes Back

It’s easy to envision what Lucas’s position would be. The project would be on Lucas’s land and paid by Lucas himself. The ranch is his property and therefore he should have the right to build whatever he pleases on it.

The neighbors could raise any applicable zoning laws and possibly nuisance violations. However, the zoning card was already played when Lucas was forced to abandon his studio plans. Now that Lucas is constructing residential housing, the laws restricting construction to residential property are easily satisfied.

Although affordable housing could bring more people, that doesn’t mean affordable housing would bring drug dealers and other unsavory characters. Affordable income is for households with a median household income; affordable housing is very different from transitional housing or non-market project rentals. The latter often attract crime because the residents often turn to non-legal means to make income while the affordable housing deal with workers who make money, but just need a little push to access better housing.

It’s debatable whether affordable housing is a good idea, but Lucas seems to think so. Affordable housing might affect property values, but there is no right to high property value. However, Lucas doesn’t appear to be constructing a slum. With a swimming pool, community center, and gardens, Lucas is constructing an entire community. If managed correctly, a medium household community wouldn’t tank property values. As long as Lucas is willing to pay for and take responsibility for his project, there’s no reason to deny Lucas the use of his own property.