Oxberry pays HOA dues to get neighborhood support for luxury retail project - Houston Chronicle

Oxberry pays HOA dues to get neighborhood support for luxury retail project - Houston Chronicle:

Here you go, folks. Local democracy in action. Money for votes.



"Oxberry Group compensated nearly 200 residents in a deed-restricted neighborhood to approve plans for a high-end shopping center in the Tanglewood area.

The Houston developer donated $100,000 to the Briarcroft community association and paid one year’s worth of HOA dues — about $625 per household — to any Briarcroft homeowner who voted in favor of its Shops at Tanglewood project. It also held neighborhood meetings, sent informational mailers and knocked on doors to get signatures.

Sean Jamea, an Oxberry co-principal and an attorney, said there’s “nothing wrong” with swaying votes in this manner.

“It’s been happening in Florida for decades,” he said. “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it. We wanted the Briarcroft neighborhood to prosper with us as we build this shopping center.”"

Getting Started – Choosing Between a Co-op and a Condo - The New York Times

Getting Started – Choosing Between a Co-op and a Condo - The New York Times:

If California gets serious about building more high-density housing (see my post below), they should consider housing cooperatives. New York City has more co-ops than condos. Chicago has lots of co-ops, including limited equity co-ops that remain affordable.

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"There is no question that there are more co-ops than condos in New York City, but the gap has been narrowing in recent decades. 'In Manhattan, it’s about 75 percent co-op versus 25 percent condo,' said Jonathan J. Miller, the president of the Miller Samuel appraisal firm. 'In the early 1990s, it was about 80/20, and in the mid-1980s it was 85/15.'”

In California, Momentum Builds for Radical Action on Housing - CityLab

In California, Momentum Builds for Radical Action on Housing - CityLab: "Cities around the world are dealing with severe housing shortages and inflated housing costs. But nowhere is housing such a potent political issue as in California, whose unique geography, state policies, and activist culture have combined with a poorly distributed economic boom to create a “perfect storm”—the chosen words of multiple sources for this story.

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This is what political scientists call a "policy window," a time when legislators are looking for solutions and there is an opportunity for interest groups who may have been ignored to get the ear of somebody looking for a bill to push.  Ideas that can be framed as solutions to the "housing crisis" will be considered. The most obvious problem is that owner-occupied housing in much of California, especially southern California and the San Francisco Bay area, is insanely expensive. Why? Many people say it is all about the law of supply and demand, and that the supply of housing is inadequate to meet the demand. The solution they propose is for cities to allow construction of more high-density housing. Cities are generally reluctant to do this, so State Senator Scott Weiner is proposing that the state should force cities to issue building permits for high-density construction near transit hubs. That would mean condominiums and apartment buildings. Condominiums are the go-to idea for legislators every time somebody proposes to make owner-occupied housing more affordable. But the problem is that we just found out the hard way, when the housing market tanked in 2006-2007, that selling condominium housing to people of moderate income is a  risky proposition.  I could go on about this, but I think I've made that point enough times for now.  However, that experience won't stand in the way of doing the same thing all over again, because when it comes to home ownership in this country, there is no mistake that we won't repeat.

You Care About the Subdivision Regulations, You Just Don't Know It (Yet) — Strong Towns

You Care About the Subdivision Regulations, You Just Don't Know It (Yet) — Strong Towns: "Basically, local subdivision regulations govern the division of land, which includes everything from a simple lot split to the creation of new neighborhoods from pastureland.  Among other things, they establish rules for the creation of lots, blocks and streets, and provide for the establishment of easements, parks, and public rights-of-way.

Making modest, intelligent changes to this document can have enormous impacts because new neighborhoods tend to be mass-produced at a large scale.  If your city hasn’t re-evaluated its subdivision regulations in a while, you’re probably still replicating bad ideas from the 1970’s — creating inflexible, and auto-centric places.  If this is the case, it's time for a change."

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Middle Class neighborhoods must be focus for some cities

Middle Class neighborhoods must be focus for some cities:

Interesting question--should cities focus on helping distressed neighborhoods, or strengthening middle class neighborhoods?

Can mass timber help California build its way out of the housing crisis? - Archpaper.com

Can mass timber help California build its way out of the housing crisis? - Archpaper.com:



Mass timber means using wood for the load-bearing structural components of buildings up to 18 stories high. California's housing costs are insanely high and there is a housing shortage. There aren't enough millionaires to buy the currently housing stock, apparently.  Thoughts are turning to high-rise, high density residential construction made of wood.