Allowing more smaller, affordable units on a lot that would otherwise contain one expensive unit has clearly hit a sweet spot with Portland builders and affordability advocates. Portland’s housing reforms aren’t a silver bullet, but they are a powerful reminder to Raleigh that well-designed policies can produce affordable, human-scaled homes in Raleigh neighborhoods people already love.
Livable Raleigh recommends adding these two NC Building Code Amendments to the City of Raleigh’s Legislative Agenda: adopt global elevator standards and permit single stairway buildings. Both of these code reforms are gaining traction in the United States. They open up new opportunities for moderately scaled apartment and condo buildings in walkable urban settings that are more affordable and more accessible without sacrificing building safety.
Some City Councilors are tireless boosters of discredited supply-side affordability theories: They cheer when the market ticks up , and they cheer even more when the market ticks down.
Let’s move on from self-serving and counterproductive supply-side theories used to justify massive developments that are violating our neighborhoods and our adopted growth plans. Instead, let’s work with Wake County’s Affordable Housing Director toward solutions described in Livable Raleigh’s Affordability Agenda, to produce much more affordable housing and more growth according to our adopted plans.
Does anyone think Kane kicks in extra cash for more height out of the goodness of his heart? The simple business logic is that taller buildings add enormous profits to Kane’s bottom line. It’s just the cost of doing business to offer a small cut of his added profits to get his rezoning approved over the objections of impacted neighbors and conflicts with the community’s Midtown growth plan adopted by Council only a few years ago.