Certain members of Asheville City Council, or perhaps only one, like the idea of distorting markets. The city’s Housing and Community Development Committee once again toyed with the idea of forcing 12.5-15.0% of units in residential developments to be subsidized by jacking up the costs of the other units. Intelligent people know there are no in-betweeners who might have paid the unjacked rates but must beg off on the jacked ones. They further know that if such ‘tweeners did exist, they would not find housing in their price range outside of the rent-controlled district. But first, you must remember that subsidies don’t require money. If that doesn’t make sense, then pish-posh. You’re a racist. (At least that’s what I’m learning in logic class.)
Appraiser Mac Swicegood spoke against the doomed notion of lowering prices by limiting supply. Outgoing planning director Judy Daniel argued that inclusionary zoning “works where it is a hot economy;” viz., where the problem it is supposed to solve does not exist.
