At Forbes today I have a post about a really smart editorial in Victoria’s paper, Times Colonist. The editorial board had this to say about Mandatory Inclusionary Zoning (MIZ), a scheme we call Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) in Seattle:

It’s a case of ideology winning over practicality, of wishful thinking winning over reality. It could also be argued that there are no winners here, because Victoria city council’s decision to force more affordable rentals into all new large residential complexes is so misguided it’s hard to comprehend the logic.

Developers — the people who are doing all that they can to make new buildings happen — say the 20 per cent requirement is too high, and could push them out of Victoria.

I don’t care for the words, “too high.” Once schemes like this are in place the percentage of inclusion or the rate of taxes or costs of fees only goes in one direction: up. One line I love in the editorial is one that characterizes the knowledge of people who are making housing policy in Victoria. You’ll have to go to Forbes to see what I am talking about.