NIMBY is a huge problem. I live in Cupertino, and we just defeated a couple of bills that would have allowed a nine story high rise of apartments right next to the freeway.

In this particular case most people opposed it because they didn't want a nine story building. I didn't actually mind, even though I would literally live in it's shadow.

But I voted against it too because the they were apartments, not condos, which means that they will send their kids to the schools but not pay for them. Actually worse, their rent would have been higher because of the schools, but the schools would never see any of that money since apartments don't pay parcel taxes, which is where a good chunk of the school funding comes from.

But my main point is that almost all of my neighbors opposed it because "they don't want high density housing to ruin the neighborhood".

I hate to break it to these people, but they said the same thing in the 1960s when their houses were being built.