[thechat] canada's new democratic party

[Erik Mattheis]

Maybe we're saying basically sorta the same thing in different ways,
but ...

On Monday, January 27, 2003, at 02:44 PM, Tara Cleveland wrote:
> Sure, they can create public housing projects and put them where they
> want
> (change zoning etc.) - but do they?

Of course!

>  Of course zoning regulations exist
> everywhere. But do they have a blanket law in your city that says
> *all* new
> developments must be 10% affordable housing? I doubt it - if they do,
> where
> do you live?? ;-)

I must not have made myself clear: my point is that if developers are
not given financial incentives to build affordable housing, they won't.
It's common sense: if you have money to buy an acre of land to develop,
you're going to find land that you'll be able to make the most profit
from. Look at this short article:
<http://twincities.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2002/04/08/
daily42.html>. If Minneapolis required them to make _any_ portion
"affordable", would they have chosen a Minneapolis location?

I do live in Minneapolis. Excerpt from
<http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/mayor/priorities/affordable-housing/
Summit-II-Status-Report.asp>

<cite>
What Mayor Rybak has accomplished and currently supports:

Released $4 million of Neighborhood Revitalization Program (NRP) funds
for housing projects serving those under 50% of Metropolitan Median
Income (MMI).

Identified $1 million of existing financial resources that can be
shifted in 2002 to fund affordable housing for lower-income families
and individuals.

Convened Housing Finance Steering Committee that identified creative
ways to maximize effectiveness of current financial resources, and
began analysis of long-term dedicated revenue sources for affordable
housing, with support of city finance staff.
</cite>

You have to use government funds in some way, or lower income families
and individuals will have no place to live.

> Actually, there has been at least one condo development here in
> Toronto that
> was built as a co-op condo - mostly affordable housing. It can be
> built and
> people can make money on it - just not as much money.

And there were given no incentives by the gov? And

> And what business isn't going to scream at the politicians if
> government
> regulations start eating away their profits? Besides, the idea would
> be to
> build only parts of projects as "affordable housing" not big public
> housing
> developments.
>

> Anyway, there's a whole bunch of ideas on how to stimulate the
> building of
> affordable housing on Jack's site. Most of which aren't direct
> "government
> builds housing" projects - but they nevertheless cost money ;-)
>
> <http://www.jacklayton.ca/jacks_vision/default.asp?load=housing>

Jack thinks the government is spending:

a. too much on affordable housing initiatives and programs.
b. not enough on affordable housing initiatives and programs.
c. just the right amount on affordable housing initiatives and programs.

My answer would be "b". I always got pretty good reading comprehension
scores, and I'm sure that "b" is my final answer.

-----------------------
Erik Mattheis
(612) 377 2272
<http://goZz.com/>
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