Smart Growth Seattle on the Radio
Last week I had the opportunity to talk with Dori Monson on his radio show on KIRO. Monson is an outpost of common sense in local media, questioning the swiftly left-tilting Seattle City Council and Mayor. What most media takes as a given, Monson challenges including some of the basic assumptions in Seattle about housing price. Why is housing so expensive? Easy. There isn’t enough of it. That’s just basic economics. Slowing down production of housing with additional costs and regulation won’t help make it cheaper. That should be obvious, right? Not in Seattle. So I went on his show to challenge Councilmember Sawant who, oddly, claims that the City should tax new housing development. Earth to Councilmember Sawant: you voted for legislation that will do just that!
You can listen to my comments below and read the article as well at MYNorthwest.com.
And just for fun, here’s an email I got from a fan the following day. The truth is that Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning does impose fees in lieu of inclusion of rent restricted housing. Just another day at the office.
hello,
I am very curious why you decided to go on the dori munson show and lie about sawant.You accused her of lying, but I can’t tell if you are just a scumbag trying to suck up to the rightwing haters or just an idiot. I’m generous so I will go with idiot.What Councilmember Sawant said the linkage fees were left off the table she was CLEARLY talking about residential linkage fees, which were in fact LEFT OFF THE TABLE as a part of the grand bargain on development.“Those fees are known as “linkage fees” and that was a compromise from the council’s original intention to pass linkage fees on all development, commercial and residential.”So, are you just an idiot who misunderstood and had to get on the air to demonstrate your idiocy or were you desperately playing to the rightwing hate crowd that listens to that show and will cheer on anyone attacking Sawant?
