YIMBY News for 12/12

[Eric Budd]

Why is the cost of living in Colorado Springs so high? New report says massive housing shortage is partly to blame

Colorado Public Radio

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KEYWORD SCORE: 45.94. affordable, apartment, average house, condo, construction, cost of housing, density, downtown, growth, house, housing, housing cost, income, nimby, rent, renter, single-family, supply, walk

Colorado Springs is behind on housing by roughly 30,000 dwelling units–meaning apartments, condos, homes and more — according to a new assessment . That shortage, the assessment reported, is contributing to the high cost of housing in Colorado Springs, homelessness, and housing instability. The shortage dates back to decades of underbuilding, especially in the aftermath of the Great Recession, according to the report. The 314-page assessment is part of a multistep housing initiative required by a new state law. Ad: Housing is one of the top concerns of residents right now, said Aimee Cox, Chie

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King County Council Appoints Top Zahilay Aide to Vacant Council Seat

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 26.53. affordable, house, housing, infill, project, rent, transportation, urban

Councilmembers appointed Rhonda Lewis and approved Zahilay’s Sound Transit Board appointments. On Tuesday, the King County Council unanimously selected Rhonda Lewis for an interim appointment to District 2, a seat vacated by Girmay Zahilay winning election as King County Executive last month. Lewis served as Zahilay’s chief of staff when he was a councilmember and was one of the three nominees that the newly installed executive put forward for consideration. Lewis’s appointment marks the first time a Black woman has served on the council for Washington’s largest county, and it also connotes th

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Op-Ed: Seattle Monorail Should Honor Transfers, Be Treated Like Real Transit

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 23.02. downtown, project, transportation, urban

Seattle landmarks are woven into the city’s identity: the Space Needle, Gas Works Park, Pike Place Market, Humpy the Salmon. They’re playful, iconic, and accessible to locals and visitors alike. The monorail should belong in that same category. It is a piece of transportation infrastructure history that helps residents move through the city and remark on times gone by. Instead, it is becoming a premium attraction aimed at visitors, rather than a practical option for everyday riders. Fresh off hiking fares on the nearly-one-mile-long monorail to $4.00, Seattle Monorail Services is getting rid o

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Why America gave up on economists

Vox - Politics

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KEYWORD SCORE: 20.80. growth, house, housing, income, real estate, rent, supply

Key takeaways - Economists used to have a sort of special status in US policymaking; they were the consummate technocratic experts. - But over the past decade, both parties have increasingly been less enamored of economists — and economic thinking in general. - The reasons for this include Trump and Biden’s personalities, the rise of populist MAGA and progressive factions, plus structural changes in the economy and the information environment. - The consequences: more policies that economists dislike on the merits like tariffs and price controls — and also more badly designed policies that sim

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Three Councilmembers Dissent as City Approves Controversial Seattle Police Guild Contract

The Urbanist

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KEYWORD SCORE: 18.98. growth, house, public hearing, rent, urban

The Seattle City Council voted to approve a new contract with the Seattle Police Officers Guild (SPOG) on Tuesday with a 6-3 vote, signaling less unity amongst councilmembers than is typical in Seattle for police contracts. Councilmembers Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Eddie Lin, and Rob Saka voted against the new SPOG contract, citing lack of progress on key police accountability issues and continued obstacles to deploying civilian crisis responders. “The badge earns trust not from its shine, but from the conduct behind it,” Saka said. “The proposed SPOG CBA (collective bargaining agreement) is a bad

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When Community Benefits Agreements Work (And When They Don’t)

Next City

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KEYWORD SCORE: 18.38. affordable, affordable housing, house, housing, income

[image: Next City Podcast] University City Townhomes residents react to legal settlement between city and Altman Management on April 21, 2023. (Photo by Joe Piette / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) When developers target low-income neighborhoods, they often come bearing promises of a community benefits agreement, or CBA, filled with goodies like jobs or park space. Although a CBA can be an effective tool for protecting residents, organizers warn there are many caveats. In this episode, which was recorded during Next City’s Vanguard Conference in Philadelphia, we delve into the story of organizers from Univer

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