• Welcome to OGBoards 10.0, keep in mind that we will be making LOTS of changes to smooth out the experience here and make it as close as possible functionally to the old software, but feel free to drop suggestions or requests in the Tech Support subforum!

Economics & Trade

Liquid Karma said:
With the exception of housing costs, pretty much every lever they have pulled the last couple years is working.
Click to expand...

rental housing costs are just pure price gouging at this point as the private market has consolidated and certain technologies have made it easier for large landlords, but still smaller than corporate ones to fix prices

and in CA, we have a bunch of geriatric children inheriting their parents’ properties who also inherit large tax burdens bc of Prop 13 (and were too stupid to-or smart, tbh, bc they can pass through costs to tenants-figure out their tax situation
 
PhDeac said:
I keep seeing people talk about housing shortages. To my knowledge, there hasn't been a significant population increase. In fact, we just experienced a million deaths due to COVID, death rates have been increasing for the last decade or so, birth rates started declining decades ago. So where did the housing go? Are we talking about housing that hasn't been replaced? If we had enough housing two decades ago and don't have enough housing now, and it's not attributed to consolidation of wealth and the increasing commodification of housing, what happened to the supply?
Click to expand...

The cities with the biggest housing shortages didn’t build enough to account for population growth and the growth of unmarried adult households
 
Strickland33 said:
rental housing costs are just pure price gouging at this point as the private market has consolidated and certain technologies have made it easier for large landlords, but still smaller than corporate ones to fix prices

and in CA, we have a bunch of geriatric children inheriting their parents’ properties who also inherit large tax burdens bc of Prop 13 (and were too stupid to-or smart, tbh, bc they can pass through costs to tenants-figure out their tax situation
Click to expand...

The company I work for creates the software than manages over 50% of the multifamily space in the US, and dynamic pricing/price optimization for rents is a must have for all of them.
 
Strickland33 said:
The cities with the biggest housing shortages didn’t build enough to account for population growth and the growth of unmarried adult households
Click to expand...

Hadn't even considered this. I'd wager most divorcing couples can't afford home purchases afterwards and are driven into the rental market anyway.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
Biff's Myers Park buddies would shit a brick.
Click to expand...

Yeah, shit a brick trying to figure out how much they could build and where. You're not building a garden style affordable project on land that goes for $5 or $6 million per acre.
 
Biff Tannen said:
Yeah, shit a brick trying to figure out how much they could build and where. You're not building a garden style affordable project on land that goes for $5 or $6 million per acre.
Click to expand...
That is true in large part, which is why they'd be arguing something that is never really going to affect them. That said, we've had offers to donate workable land on affluent blocks. Often by rich people with a strong desire to piss off their neighbors on their way out. But there is no way it is getting rezoned.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
That is true in large part, which is why they'd be arguing something that is never really going to affect them. That said, we've had offers to donate workable land on affluent blocks. Often by rich people with a strong desire to piss off their neighbors on their way out. But there is no way it is getting rezoned.
Click to expand...

And then you'd be trying to build a duplex at best, even under the new zoning code, and you'd still be faced with all of the elevated development costs you were just talking about. If they're actually philanthropists, the better return would be to sell to a luxury developer and use the proceeds to develop a project that will supply more units.
 
It’s worth mentioning that most small-mid size governments aren’t staffed or designed adequately to process all societies regulations in a timely manner. It’s the easy joke to portray government workers as lazy and processes as needlessly onerous, but the frequent truth is 1. We don’t have enough local government workers, and 2. there isn’t enough time or resources dedicated to streamline bureaucratic processes.
 
Most of this stuff comes up before a vote by the city or town council. Staff does a pretty good job of getting everything done here. The towns in Meck Co are notoriously impossible to deal with, and they're basically run by Republicans.
 
The US’s double minded’ness as it relates to government really gives us the worst of both philosophies. We try to install and maintain a large administrative government, while starving it of resources and making it compete on efficiency with private enterprise. We never actually compromise, we just take turns winning and losing.
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
It’s worth mentioning that most small-mid size governments aren’t staffed or designed adequately to process all societies regulations in a timely manner. It’s the easy joke to portray government workers as lazy and processes as needlessly onerous, but the frequent truth is 1. We don’t have enough local government workers, and 2. there isn’t enough time or resources dedicated to streamline bureaucratic processes.
Click to expand...
Eh, I don't think staffing is the issue. I spend a lot of time each year in small municipality offices. Rarely is anyone overly busy. There are a lot of staff lunches, dog-at-work days, and other nonsense. Manpower is not the issue. Decision-making Authority is the issue. Rightly or wrongly, most municipal workers do not go outside their direct sphere of authority. If it isn't something in their handbook, they aren't going to do it.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
Eh, I don't think staffing is the issue. I spend a lot of time each year in small municipality offices. Rarely is anyone overly busy. There are a lot of staff lunches, dog-at-work days, and other nonsense. Manpower is not the issue. Decision-making Authority is the issue. Rightly or wrongly, most municipal workers do not go outside their direct sphere of authority. If it isn't something in their handbook, they aren't going to do it.
Click to expand...
These anecdotes and philosophy almost always boils down to public workers/government workers not working hard enough or efficiently enough because they aren’t scared of losing their jobs - management has no ability to hold them accountable. This assumes that all successful and more efficient bureaucracy elsewhere is due to less job security, when that’s not the case. The refinement of processes requires a concerted effort and material support. Efficiency and effectiveness, no matter how badly we need it, often costs more than we are willing to pay for it. Ruthless efficiency is only an option when you don’t have to account for the conditions of labor.
 
You have no idea what you're talking about. People in city and county government are some of the most responsive folks you'd ever want to interact with, around here at least. Getting the answer you want can be a problem.
 
Biff Tannen said:
You have no idea what you're talking about.
Click to expand...
your argument is that local and state level regulation is enforced efficiently. Ok. I’m not familiar with any level of regulatory government, in charge of permitting or approving, that isn’t extremely slow.
 
myDeaconmyhand said:
The US’s double minded’ness as it relates to government really gives us the worst of both philosophies. We try to install and maintain a large administrative government, while starving it of resources and making it compete on efficiency with private enterprise. We never actually compromise, we just take turns winning and losing.
Click to expand...
Add that much of the role of government is to prop up private enterprise at the government's expense.
 
2&2 Slider To Leyritz said:
To me, the easiest way to open the door for more affordable housing is to create a statewide fast-track 30 or 60 day rezoning program for 100% affordable projects, with standardized rejection and approval metrics, and design criteria that mirrors NCHFA's Qualified Allocation Plan design guidelines. But that is much easier said than done, Biff's Myers Park buddies would shit a brick.
Click to expand...
i do lihtc work in low tax, low cost states like indiana and high tax, high cost states like california and there are pros and cons to both, but one pro to california is that there are many super strong state laws that allow for affordable housing by-right
 
A lot of times it's slow because people don't meet the regulatory burden. And also, they take their direction from managers who report to the council.
 
Biff Tannen said:
A lot of times it's slow because people don't meet the regulatory burden. And also, they take their direction from managers who report to the council.
Click to expand...
Sincere question, what do you mean by regulatory burden? As in, if I want to install a Tesla fast charger in my garage, and it takes 3-5 weeks to get it inspected by my municipality, how would regulatory burden account for that?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top