Opinionist, YIMBY, prefer cycling to driving places, would like more housing to lower rent and increase options. Let’s build a better future. Pseudonym.
DC
Joined July 2021
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Build more homes retweeted
The housing market right now is a battle between the unstoppable force of nobody willing to buy houses with inflated values at 7% rates, and the immovable object of a majority of homeowners having locked in sub 3% rates who won’t sell unless basically desperate.
I know everyone is focused on Nvidia, but the U.S. housing market is in a dramatic slump.
Home sales in October fell to the lowest since 2010
(This is sales of existing homes).
Home sales and home building are drying up as mortgage rates remain above 7% (and home prices remain 50% above 2020 levels). There's unlikely to be much relief anytime soon.
This is a big pain point for many young Americans. Spain is currently experiencing strikes and riots over housing unaffordability. It's a warning to the US.
Build more homes retweeted
Dude. A driver just crashed through a playground in navy yard. DC has some of the least safe streets in the country and you’re fear mongering about AVs?
Build more homes retweeted
I wanna see rent control go to the supreme court so bad because the counterfactual NYC without it is extremely fascinating
Build more homes retweeted
LMAO at people who think it is more moral to tax sales rather than property.
Seriously LMAO.
I'm much more fine with people who are just FYGM but pretending this is about morality is unbearable
Build more homes retweeted
> Be James Talarico
> Co-sponsor statewide single-stair bill
> Win Texas by 12 pts
Clearly, the path to victory in America is through YIMBY single-stair reform.
Build more homes retweeted
Sometimes they just say it out loud.
“You can’t store personal property on the street,” said NYPD attorney Matt Russo. “A bike is personal property and a car is not.” buff.ly/OnSsIOK
Build more homes retweeted
Shift in U.S. homebuilders' costs since 2012, according to AEI Housing Center indices
+286% -> Residential land
+157% -> Home prices
+68% -> Rents
+52% -> Construction costs
+49% -> Construction wages
Build more homes retweeted
Today in Capital Commonsense, we’ve got an article for all the YIMBYs. Our next mayor Janeese Lewis George will need to be bold to achieve her goal of 72,000 units of housing amidst capital flight. @mattyglesias says she should End Inclusionary Zoning. open.substack.com/pub/capita…
Build more homes retweeted
a little preview of the RFK courtyard urbanism proposal I will likely post tomorrow
10,000+ homes (in additional to 1M sf in commercial)
Build more homes retweeted
No, retirees should **not** have average incomes! They don't need it!!
Their home should be paid off, they aren't raising children, and they no longer have to save for retirement!
Let alone the impossible mathematics of giving non-workers an average income.
Build more homes retweeted
These are $200 (full retail, wholesale much cheaper) and install in 30 seconds. THIRTY SECONDS.
I'm begging you.
BOOT 'EM
Another sad victim of our camera ticket system this morning on Georgia Ave @CMWendellFelder @CMRobertWhiteDC
The takeaway from this is that we should get rid of the cameras. Definitely not that we should be impounding these cars earlier.
Build more homes retweeted
Now's a good time as any to re-up my idea of turning the Whitehurst Freeway into DC's High Line. curbed.com/article/high-line…..
Build more homes retweeted
Washingtonians should vote NO on the foie gras ban--for process reasons more than substance. Plebiscite is a bad way to make policy that doesn't allow technical nuance and can't account for tradeoffs (as we've learned in the never-ending fights over the tipped minimum wage). Even if necessary in odd cases where the legislature is unresponsive for some structural reason, here there's no reason proponents can't convince a very left-wing council and mayor-elect to restrict foie gras. They just prefer the expressive rush of using a much worse policy-making vehicle, and indulging them will encourage more of the same for substantively much more damaging future referenda.
Build more homes retweeted
This is my single most technocratic take. The President should make something like $50M a year. Senators, $1M. House members, $500k. *And* the costs of work-related travel, and of maintaining a second household in the DC area, should be fully covered for members of Congress.
In exchange, ban all Congressional stock trading.
Build more homes retweeted
Metro to Georgetown?
Metro should revisit the Blue Line Loop and finally create a serious long-term expansion plan for the region. WMATA’s most ambitious expansion concept would deliver:
• A second Rosslyn station and Potomac tunnel
• New stations in Georgetown and West End
• New connections at Union Station and Navy Yard
• Service to Buzzard Point and St. Elizabeths
• An extension to National Harbor
• Relief for the Rosslyn bottleneck
The DMV will keep growing whether Metro prepares for it or not.
Maintaining the system isn’t enough. It’s time to start planning the next generation of Metro.
Build the Bloop.
Build more homes retweeted
Wow, DC can theoretically *double* the families served by the housing voucher program. All it has to do is cut back on how exceptionally generous vouchers are.
No reason to pay $3,800/mo/1BR (!!) when we could serve 2X as many families by renting average apts
Today in Capital Commonsense! @kevincorinth has a commonsense reform to cut the exceptionally high payment standard for housing vouchers, allowing D.C. to serve many more families. The current standard:
Studio—$3,652
1 BR—$3,768
2BR—$4,200
3BR—$5,301
capitalcommonsense.com/p/dc-…
