Re: “Homelessness in Seattle: We can’t unsee it” (Dec. 28, Opinion):
The visitor opinion makes many good factors however once more the creator suggests upzoning and decreased regulation to supply inexpensive housing.
However upzoning largely created the astronomical costs we see immediately. Keep in mind a time when a house in a single-family neighborhood price $250,000? After upzoning, builders might raze any dwelling to construct a four-unit apartment, placing one million {dollars} value of housing on the identical lot however creating an upward spiral in costs.
Upzoning and decreased regulation can by no means create inexpensive housing, as a result of housing improvement is a for-profit trade, and there’s no revenue in constructing inexpensive housing. However politicians love upzoning as a result of it prices nothing. For zero price they will fake they’ve executed one thing to resolve the homelessness situation — and marketing campaign donations from builders and the constructing associations pour in.
If we wish inexpensive housing, the town has to construct it.
And we’ve got to recover from the “It’s OK” perspective towards tent cities. It isn’t OK or protected to dwell in rat-infested tents, with out sanitation amenities. Housing and providers should be accessible; however those that are homeless must be moved out of the tent cities, even when it takes sweeps.
Steve Akerman, Burien
