For all the grandstanding that Seattle’s city government loves to do about "affordable housing," you would think that they would want to make it as easy as possible for builders to actually build housing. Of course, if you think that, you’re quite wrong.
"We must dramatically increase access to decent, affordable housing," said Mayor Greg Nickels in his State of the City speech March 6. "Most of it will be produced, not by government but by the market through private investment."
The mayor is correct. Most lower-cost housing is old private housing. The best way to open up old private housing is to build new private housing. The city should encourage that — but the people who create new private housing do not believe this city does. They say Seattle is unfriendly. If you want a place that welcomes builders, go to Spokane. Go to Tacoma. Go to Renton.
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In each of these stories, money matters, but in each of them time matters more. It’s harder to put a number on it, but it’s real. The builders are the supply side of the economic equation. The denser the regulatory air, the slower they work and the fewer units that get built. Over time, that affects the supply of housing and its price city people have to pay to move to Seattle.
I can think of more than a few city government habits that aren’t very friendly, toward businesses, tourists, drivers, homeowners… pretty much everyone. It’s almost as if Seattle’s government would be happier if everyone just left Seattle and never came back. So hey, at least they’re putting a crimp on both the supply and the demand side of the equation—that way it all balances out.
I love Seattle, but when I think of the government around here I have to hold back the bile.
(Bruce Ramsey, Seattle Times, 05.31.2006)