‘Equity’ is a Cover for Redistributing Wealth to Single-Family Home Owners
The housing discussion in Seattle is so rife with jingoism and rhetorical sawdust that trying to figure out what the housing problem ( if there is a problem at all) might be and how best to solve it is exceedingly difficult. Phrases like “social justice” and “equity” are frequently thrown about and it is impossible to tell […]
Not EVERYONE Agrees Grand Bargain is a Bargain
I find myself heading down to City Hall often these days to throw shade on various proposals about housing hatched by well meaning people at City Hall usually backed with dubious data and economics. Yesterday was no different. The Council passed resolutions putting them on a course to force builders to take more square footage […]
Concerns About Grand Bargain’s Financial Feasibility Grow
We’re going to be spending a lot of time this week looking at whether the upzones proposed as part of the so called Grand Bargain on housing actually add value to projects. Intuitively, I think the Grand Bargain isn’t feasible financially. New square footage comes at a cost and so do rent restrictions. My guess […]
