Who Killed the Starter Home?
Podcast Description
Have you seen any starter homes for sale lately? Neither have we.
In this podcast, we speak with experts and try to figure out why this humble first home is going extinct. We’ll be exploring if it is the politicians, wielding zoning laws like a murder weapon who killed the starter home? Or maybe the scaredy-cat planners and designers? Or the developers, armed with cookie-cutter plans and corporate indifference? Is it our convoluted tax policy that subsidies homeownership, but puts every tax penalty in the way of creation of the starter homes.
Spoiler alert: it’s probably a little of everything.
We’ll be peeling back the layers of bureaucracy, bad faith, and bad planning, with stops along the way for affordable housing scandals, ADU success stories, and a passionate plea for building code updates. Join us for a conversation that’s part policy deep-dive, part therapy session for frustrated builders, and entirely a love letter to cities that deserve better.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
The show concentrates on topics related to housing policy, urban development, and affordable housing challenges, featuring episodes examining zoning laws, taxation impacts on homeownership, and innovative strategies for unique local housing solutions.
Have you seen any starter homes for sale lately? Neither have we.
In this podcast, we speak with experts and try to figure out why this humble first home is going extinct. We’ll be exploring if it is the politicians, wielding zoning laws like a murder weapon who killed the starter home? Or maybe the scaredy-cat planners and designers? Or the developers, armed with cookie-cutter plans and corporate indifference? Is it our convoluted tax policy that subsidies homeownership, but puts every tax penalty in the way of creation of the starter homes.
Spoiler alert: it’s probably a little of everything.
We’ll be peeling back the layers of bureaucracy, bad faith, and bad planning, with stops along the way for affordable housing scandals, ADU success stories, and a passionate plea for building code updates. Join us for a conversation that’s part policy deep-dive, part therapy session for frustrated builders, and entirely a love letter to cities that deserve better.
If we “just fix zoning” all our housing problems will be solved, right? Not exactly. In this episode, Professional Planner Gabby Hart joins us from Colorado to share her experience working with municipalities on master plans and zoning regulations. She explains the unexpected friction between the public process and private restrictions and how sometimes it’s deed restrictions and private covenants that kill starter homes.
Another surprise could be to planners that steering committees could be helpful resources for local knowledge. And not at all surprising, but important, is the role of fun! Zoning Bingo, games, and kids change how we speak about regulations in creative and accessible ways. Fun helps us bring people together instead of driving us apart.
If you had a choice, what board would you like to be on? The helpful, the unhelpful, or the fun?
We would like to hear what you think about this conversation or if you have any ideas for how to bring the starter homes back from the brink of extinction, send us a note at [email protected]
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