Another "solution" - one that requires no action from homeowners - is to fix the demand side of things. Engineers without family could park a van nearby and (optionally) commute in and out over the weekend to a nice area further out. For the cost difference I'd be willing to put up with a pretty significant amount of hassle like that.
My manager's manager kinda does this. She flies her airplane back and forth between Yosemite area and the Palo Alto airport everyday. She loves flying and the numbers apparently penciled out for her to be able to afford to buy a house in Yosemite with access to a private landing strip, and buy the plane, fuel, and maintenance for cheaper than she could buy a house in the bay.
I think flight time is around 50 minutes. Depending on what time I leave the office she sometimes gets to her house up there before I get to mine in Cupertino.
