Reading the Asheville City Council staff reports this week, I was reminded of a Bill Cosby comedy act in which he explained why teenagers dressed so strangely. They knew their parents were going to complain no matter what, so it hurt less to make up superficial stuff to kindle their wrath, rather than let them jab at the core. With local government, it got old six years ago trying to talk about constitutionality or even economic prosperity. Intellectuals needed only make fun of the way I dressed to prove I knew nothing about money-in, money-out – but that’s not my point. What I was trying to say is some of this stuff sounds made up. Once government decided it had power to overrun personal liberties and the ability to levy taxes – er, partnerships – to pay for it, the sky was the limit. Consent agendas these days are full of stuff requiring the taxed class to work even harder for government’s whimsies.
Back to Cosby, lost are discussions about regulation driving up the cost of construction. In their stead are arguments over whether a developer should be required to make 10 or 25% of units affordable, or what number of workforce units would provide an equivalent community impact. It’s like the steep slope arguments focusing on stabs at 1200 or 1500 feet instead of whether a person should be personally liable for dumping mud all over his neighbor’s yard.
The last time council met, a developer wanted public dollars for his project when he couldn’t get private investors. The city didn’t have a precedent, so this week staff is proposing a new policy that would guide council to approve a project that looks exactly like the unprecedented one. If council votes to approve the policy, they will be able to give tax and fee breaks to projects that are “appropriate for the economic development of the community.” In addition to providing a number of subsidized-rent units, the developments also have to create jobs, 70% of which provide competitive salaries. They also have to be in designated “transitional” areas that encourage walking to work and stores. The development in question just happens to be in one.
