SAN FRANCISCO (NewsNation) — NBA superstar Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha Curry, are working to block a Bay Area city’s shot at affordable housing.
California is home to many expensive and exclusive neighborhoods. For the Bay Area’s ultra-wealthy, that includes the town of Atherton — where the Currys live.
The Golden State Warriors star and former NBA MVP and his wife are not welcoming to the prospect of a three-story townhouse project planned for a nearby property in what is apparently a literal case of NIMBY — “not in my backyard.”
“We hesitate to add to the ‘not in our backyard’ rhetoric, but we wanted to send a note before today’s meeting: Safety and privacy for us and our kids continue to be our top priority and one of the biggest reasons we chose Atherton as home,” a letter from the Currys to the Town of Atherton read in part.
California law requires all cities to offer more affordable housing. As a result, zoning for a higher-density project is being considered at a special city council meeting.
“This is just one of the ways that Atherton is proposing to do that,” said Jeremy Levine of San Mateo County’s Housing Leadership Council. “Just one of the parcels where they’re thinking they’re going to essentially change it from what it currently is now — which is one mansion per acre to 20 homes per acre … potentially.”
As it stands now, Atherton is pretty much all mansions.
It is the wealthiest area in the U.S., with an average home sale price of $8.2 million, according to Realtor.com.
The Currys recently moved upcourt from one Atherton estate into a bigger, $30 million property.
If the new townhouse project moves forward, the Currys have a request.
“We ask that the town commits to investing in considerably taller fencing and landscaping to block sight lines onto our family’s property,” the letter read.
“(The letter) said a pretty reasonable thing, like ‘We are concerned about privacy.’” Levine said. “And it is reasonable for the most famous basketball player on Earth to care about privacy.”