What other cities are doing about affordable housing

[shinatoo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wrQLDoJ6cw

Robot build CMU house, Perth.

[im2kull]

When do we start using CMU's instead of timber for housing? No idea about the cost difference.

Never. CMU's are inefficient and expensive to finish.

ICF's are the future of low rise construction.

[shinatoo]

When do we start using CMU's instead of timber for housing? No idea about the cost difference.

Never. CMU's are inefficient and expensive to finish.

ICF's are the future of low rise construction.

Intresting. I'm digging in.

[FangKC]

We have to be circumspect about using concrete blocks to build because of environmental impacts. Wood is more sustainable. However, there are places where concrete block houses make more sense. Some parts of the world do have more termite issues than others, or even humidity issues that cause wood-rot faster.

[im2kull]

When do we start using CMU's instead of timber for housing? No idea about the cost difference.

Never. CMU's are inefficient and expensive to finish.

ICF's are the future of low rise construction.

Intresting. I'm digging in.

ICFs are actually already in widespread use in Missouri. There's plenty being built around the metro area and the great KC region. No downsides apart from needing a super sturdy foundation due to their weight. But you get stronger, water, pest, and fire proof walls that come pre-insulated and "pre-studded" for drywall, etc. Interior buildouts on ICF homes are extremely simple and quick. With todays lumber prices ICF homes are likely cheaper than stick built wood construction.

[FangKC]

Our Morally Indefensible Affordable-Housing Crisis

https://www.governing.com/community/ou ... ing-crisis

[Cratedigger]

Read this interesting article about Community Land Trusts in Austin, TX. I feel like I've heard someone on the board mention this before, maybe you Fang?

Community land trusts work by separating the cost of a home from the cost of the land, and setting a limit on how much homes can appreciate. A trust, typically governed by residents themselves, along with other community members and public representatives, raises initial money from a combination of local governments, philanthropy organizations, individuals, and bank loans to buy one or more properties. The trust then maintains ownership of the land, while the homeowner pays for the cost of the structure, plus a nominal ground lease fee for use of the land. When the home is sold, the land trust sets limits on the sale price so that it can be affordable for the next buyer.

That way, people who live in these properties are protected against the risk of sudden hikes in rent and property taxes. This stability means it's easier not to be priced out and to stay in one place for years or decades.



https://qz.com/2159445/community-owners ... e-housing/

[FangKC]

Yep.

[FangKC]

Minneapolis Rents Drop, Bucking National Trends

https://streets.mn/2022/05/06/minneapolis-rents-drop/

[FlippantCitizen]

^ interesting article. Minneapolis has definitely taken affordable housing seriously but I wonder if this decrease correlates more with the recent reversal in Minneapolis’s growth trend that has been illustrated by many of earthling’s stats posts.

[earthling]

Yes, Minneapolis rents may be dropping also partly because there are possible signs of overbuilding relative to absorption depending on how measured. I think Minneapolis is still a bit less strict with affordable requirements than KCMO, not sure.

[FangKC]

Where are all the apartments for families?

Cities are finally starting to build more housing — but not for people with kids.

https://www.vox.com/policy/2023/4/23/23 ... ng-suburbs

[FlippantCitizen]

Where are all the apartments for families?

Cities are finally starting to build more housing — but not for people with kids.

https://www.vox.com/policy/2023/4/23/23 ... ng-suburbs

This is such a real problem in KC and America at large. I've commented on this issue on the Rag before. There is so little housing I see that is suitable for a family in urban areas and basically zero new construction is suitable. Even townhomes are frequently only two bedrooms. I'm never moving to a 1/4 acre in the burbs (a farm in the country maybe lol). I'd be perfectly happy not living in a SFH but the setup has to be right. Visiting a friend in Stockholm and going into a lot of private homes I saw so many huge family sized flats. Where are these housing options?

Housing housing housing. It's probably the number one issue for under 40 voters in America. Lets figure this out, it's affecting middle class stability, family formation, it's creating huge inefficiencies and dragging down everything. The answers are all out there but it's such a wicked problem. We've spent 75 years fucking up the American dream with every little thing from zoning to building codes and now it's borderline impossible to unfuck. It drives me so crazy I could tear my hair out. I just want to be able to spend my money on the type of housing I actually want, but it's all either illegal or the banks won't finance it.

[FangKC]

Read Chris Stritzel.

[Chris Stritzel]

I’ve been requested!

I’d like to do 3- and even 4-bedroom apartments in my projects, but in some municipalities, and even neighborhoods, NIMBYs want 1 parking space per bedroom which hurts deals significantly. At the same time, I need to make sure enough revenue is brought in to payoff construction loans and accrued interest and in order to do that, rents for 3- and 4-bedroom apartments will be out of reach for families. It’s a very delicate operation.

Now, there is a project I looked at, but dropped, that would’ve constructed 20 two-bedroom, 18 3-bedroom units, and 12 4-bedroom flats spread out over multiple buildings in generally the same area. All of which would’ve been pretty affordable to live in for their size. This would’ve been achieved by seeking incentives from Kansas City. The deal dropped because an initial meeting with neighborhood leaders was incredibly negative as they did not like the idea of so many large housing units, no 1:1 bedroom parking, and did not like the fact that the buildings would be 3-4-stories in size. It was a disaster and is one I wish not to discuss much more about beyond what I said.

One other project, which I’m actively looking at, are row homes of 2- and 3-bedroom configurations. My hope for these is to find a formula that allows for cost effective construction allowing these homes to be priced for first time homebuyers who would otherwise be priced out of the neighborhood and market. That’s a heavy ask, but I think it’s possible. The biggest problem I have with advancing this plan is relating to garages. KC doesn’t have many neighborhoods with alleys, so I’d have to create my own and eat into rear yard spaces that each home could have. I’m also limited in how close I can be to the sidewalk thanks to regulations. I’ll hopefully post more on this once I get this ironed out.

My ultimate goal is to develop projects that appeal to a wide range of residents. From single people who just left college on up to families with 4 children and then to people who are empty nesters. Achieving this goal will require incentives to be issued on some projects, but not all. Achieving this will require neighborhoods and municipalities to think differently about setback and zoning rules. Achieving this will require a different way of thinking and I feel strongly that if I can make all these concepts work, then we can build enough housing of varying price points that appeals to a wide range of people and is there for them at any stage in their life (if units are available).

[FangKC]

IMO, the six undeveloped acres in Columbus Park centered on Gillis and E. 4th Street should all be zoned for only townhouses with no setbacks from the sidewalk. There should be no detached single-family houses there. This is the opportunity to create a walkable, dense neighborhood and provide more of that type of housing. We have plenty of places for detached SFHs.

Ideally, the development would be set up as individual townhouses -- not a condo situation. This would get around the condo banking rules and get those sold quickly. You can also have a neighborhood association that takes care of street plantings like many neighborhoods of SFHs do.

Then, run a bus line into the center of Columbus Park on Charlotte to the 12th Street transit center.

[FlippantCitizen]

I need three bedrooms and preferably an alcove or flex space for a desk. 2 full baths preferred, 1.5 required. I need 1200 sq ft. I only need one parking space. I just had a son early this year and my wife and I will probably grow our family more in the next few years. These NIMBY's who think that a three of four bedroom apartment needs three of four parking spots need to be brought to heel. That's absolutely ridiculous.

My wife's career is increasingly demanding relocation to a city that's a bigger hub for her industry. Sadly I'll probably be leaving KC by the end of this year. It's definitely part of our plan to return to KC at some point. When I come back it is going to be with a plan to do some small scale development here. I've always had an interest in doing some development work and this lack of family friendly housing has become a real preoccupation of mine. If I have to spend the next six to ten years figuring out novel ways to get approvals, financing, etc. then that's what I'm going to do. Hopefully some other visionaries such as Chris can break the ice and show people exactly what the value of building housing for families can be for both developers and for communities.