Districts sure make the city council a lot more interesting. Add to that, districts increase minority representation according to Federal judges looking at Yakima's city council.
Remind me again why certain Stranger writers thought they'd be a bad thing ?
If they do take this up next year, I'm interested to see how the projected fee revenue compares to the increase in construction costs for all new developments. Especially considering that construction costs have been already been shooting up, which contributes to high rents for new apartments.
If the City can mandate parking spot ratios in these newly developed multi-family buildings, then they can mandate a percentage of SRO (Single Room Occupancy) or otherwise affordable units in these buildings. Unless, of course, cars are more important than people.
@3 That's very much something worth noting, and in part something that's put housing out of reach for people making the median income in SF. I'm not against what subsidy fees are trying to accomplish, but there are consequences to consider as well.
And I love how they think that new market rate units in places like northgate and rainier beach need to be "mitigated" - those places can just barely support any new construction at all and what is built is not high end stuff...meanwhile places outside urban villages where don't want growth - no taxes there.
The linkage fee is often called a Robin Hood Tax by its proponents. Rob from the developers and give to the deserving poor. The PR optics are great. So what's not to like?
It is a nice concept. But here is the reality. The developers are already working on tight margins (land and construction costs are up hugely since 2012) so they either will slow construction (which makes prices and rents go up) or they will pass on the linkage fee (which also makes prices and rents go up).
So buyers and renters who are competing for scarce housing are the ones who end up getting "linked", not the developers.
Remind me again why certain Stranger writers thought they'd be a bad thing ?
*except for the 4 floors of apodments priced at $1,500/mo and with their own "poor door" entrance and elevator.
Here's a good post about the numbers:
http://markasaurus.com/2013/10/22/why-ca…
It is a nice concept. But here is the reality. The developers are already working on tight margins (land and construction costs are up hugely since 2012) so they either will slow construction (which makes prices and rents go up) or they will pass on the linkage fee (which also makes prices and rents go up).
So buyers and renters who are competing for scarce housing are the ones who end up getting "linked", not the developers.