Ezra Klein

So it's like it's costing more to build housing under this affordable housing bond measure, which they have agreed to pay for, than it is to buy a home. Market rate in Denver. Denver's a nice place to live. So why? What had happened?

Well, it turns out that when you trigger the public money in various cities, these are city ordinances often, but not always, and you use these public grants and you cobble together the different grants you need to build an affordable housing complex, what you've done is layer onto yourself a huge number of rules that the market rate developers don't have to follow.

Well, it turns out that when you trigger the public money in various cities, these are city ordinances often, but not always, and you use these public grants and you cobble together the different grants you need to build an affordable housing complex, what you've done is layer onto yourself a huge number of rules that the market rate developers don't have to follow.

Well, it turns out that when you trigger the public money in various cities, these are city ordinances often, but not always, and you use these public grants and you cobble together the different grants you need to build an affordable housing complex, what you've done is layer onto yourself a huge number of rules that the market rate developers don't have to follow.

You're either using union labor or paying prevailing wage. You're building to higher green building codes. Oftentimes, by the way, to get through the kind of planning board meetings that Derek is talking about, you've made a bunch of concessions on the design. You know, is there going to be parking in it? You know, security, things like that.

You're either using union labor or paying prevailing wage. You're building to higher green building codes. Oftentimes, by the way, to get through the kind of planning board meetings that Derek is talking about, you've made a bunch of concessions on the design. You know, is there going to be parking in it? You know, security, things like that.

You're either using union labor or paying prevailing wage. You're building to higher green building codes. Oftentimes, by the way, to get through the kind of planning board meetings that Derek is talking about, you've made a bunch of concessions on the design. You know, is there going to be parking in it? You know, security, things like that.

You have to often agree to who's going to be in the home. So you're getting, you know, there's a thing in the Measure H stuff where, well, they wanted it to not just be the taxpayer money. They also wanted nonprofit grants so the money would go further. So you're trying to get these other grants, but these grants are to house homeless veterans.

You have to often agree to who's going to be in the home. So you're getting, you know, there's a thing in the Measure H stuff where, well, they wanted it to not just be the taxpayer money. They also wanted nonprofit grants so the money would go further. So you're trying to get these other grants, but these grants are to house homeless veterans.

You have to often agree to who's going to be in the home. So you're getting, you know, there's a thing in the Measure H stuff where, well, they wanted it to not just be the taxpayer money. They also wanted nonprofit grants so the money would go further. So you're trying to get these other grants, but these grants are to house homeless veterans.

So now to open the thing, you need to find these homeless veterans. You need to go through extra disability accessibility reviews. And of course, we all want these things to be accessible, but they already had to comply with the American Disability Act. But now you're doing another Disability Act review in the city and they come in, they say, well...

So now to open the thing, you need to find these homeless veterans. You need to go through extra disability accessibility reviews. And of course, we all want these things to be accessible, but they already had to comply with the American Disability Act. But now you're doing another Disability Act review in the city and they come in, they say, well...

So now to open the thing, you need to find these homeless veterans. You need to go through extra disability accessibility reviews. And of course, we all want these things to be accessible, but they already had to comply with the American Disability Act. But now you're doing another Disability Act review in the city and they come in, they say, well...

you know, your doors are a little bit not as wide as we think. So you got to make all your doors three inches wider before you can open up. And that adds time and that adds cost. You have these subcontractor rules, right? This is now I'm using an example from San Francisco, but you had a preference initially for minority-based subcontractors. That became illegal.

you know, your doors are a little bit not as wide as we think. So you got to make all your doors three inches wider before you can open up. And that adds time and that adds cost. You have these subcontractor rules, right? This is now I'm using an example from San Francisco, but you had a preference initially for minority-based subcontractors. That became illegal.

you know, your doors are a little bit not as wide as we think. So you got to make all your doors three inches wider before you can open up. And that adds time and that adds cost. You have these subcontractor rules, right? This is now I'm using an example from San Francisco, but you had a preference initially for minority-based subcontractors. That became illegal.

It became small businesses, but that meant it had a preference against the bigger contractors who are more efficient at building housing. In order to use public money, and then very much in order to build public housing directly, it ends up being more expensive and slower than market rate. And that is a choice.

It became small businesses, but that meant it had a preference against the bigger contractors who are more efficient at building housing. In order to use public money, and then very much in order to build public housing directly, it ends up being more expensive and slower than market rate. And that is a choice.

It became small businesses, but that meant it had a preference against the bigger contractors who are more efficient at building housing. In order to use public money, and then very much in order to build public housing directly, it ends up being more expensive and slower than market rate. And that is a choice.

We do not have to try to solve every problem in society through an individual housing project. Building affordable housing is hard enough. It's not impossible, but it's difficult to do. You do have to talk with the neighbors, right? It's never going to be trivial to build a 500-unit apartment building But instead, we layer on all these external and additional agenda items.