Pacific Northwest Thread

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Cicero: Dec 17, 2003; Jumpjet, melta, jumpjet. Repeat for ten minutes or until victory is assured.

Gerund posted:

So company-towns are awesome and don't erode worker rights and civic ethics whatsoever?

So do you just want Amazon to :frogout:

or something? There's definitely a downside to any one company having too much leverage in a city to do what it wants, but on the upside: jobs.

edit: Wait, does Amazon actually own its own housing for employees? I worked there until a couple months ago and I thought they just leased units from existing complexes, and even then I thought that was just for temporary situations like interns or employees being 'borrowed' from other locations.

Cicero fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Apr 4, 2014

# ? Apr 4, 2014 00:38

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# ? Jun 3, 2024 12:53

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

Gerund posted:

So company-towns are awesome and don't erode worker rights and civic ethics whatsoever?

Amazon doesn't own the housing, they didn't develop it, and they don't restrict it to just Amazon employees. It's hardly a "company town." It's not like they're paying people in scrip or something.

Though, to be honest, I wouldn't entirely object to being paid in Amazon gift cards... Especially if I got a discount.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 00:42

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

We're talking about a city that is building a tunnel underneath downtown at a ridiculous cost to connect Vulcan Inc's SLU developments to Vulcan Inc's SoDo developments. It perhaps isn't one company but there is far too much power given to larger developers in this city.

But enh, egg on my face, its some other company town being developed as we speak:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017058160_childrens21.html

quote:

UW, Seattle Children's hospital plan to build employee housing

Two big Seattle employers are partnering with a developer to build something this region probably hasn't seen since the days of the "company town" a century or more ago: housing for their workers.

Seattle Children's hospital and the University of Washington have proposed a 184-unit apartment complex in the University District at which their employees would have priority.

The university is providing the land, the hospital some of the financing. Seattle-based Security Properties would build, own and operate the complex, on 11th Avenue Northeast between Northeast 45th and 47th streets.

Children's and UW officials say it would offer relatively affordable homes close to work for employees ranging from cooks to lab technicians to junior faculty.

First-year medical residents are another target, said Todd Johnson, Children's vice president for facilities: "They're not that well-paid. But they need to be nearby, and sometimes finding housing can be a real problem for them."

The complex also could help both institutions recruit staff from across the country in the face of Seattle's still relatively expensive housing, said Aaron Hoard, the UW's deputy director of regional relations.

Entry-level employees at Children's commute from as far away as Marysville and Federal Way, Johnson says, because that's where they can afford to live.

Employer-provided housing is a big part of the Northwest's history. Pope & Talbot built Port Gamble for workers at its sawmill there. Newcastle began as a coal-mine company town. Asarco's corporate ancestors developed the town of Ruston around their Tacoma smelter.

But those communities all date to the early 1900s, or earlier. It's apparently been many decades since any local employer played a role in supplying housing for workers, historians at Historylink.org say.

Some institutional employers in other high-priced parts of the country � Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., is one � already provide staff housing. For Seattle, however, "we think we're the first," Children's Johnson said.

Curve, as the project is called, is a response to both a perceived need and a contractual obligation.

When the Seattle City Council approved Children's plan to expand its Laurelhurst campus in early 2010 after a drawn-out fight with unhappy neighbors, the hospital was required to replace the housing that would be torn down � a 136-unit, postwar condo complex called Laurelon Terrace, on Sand Point Way Northeast.

The council gave Children's a choice: It could pay $10.9 million into a city housing fund, or build replacement housing somewhere in Northeast Seattle.

"We thought that [option] offered a lot more opportunity," Johnson said.

Even before the condition was imposed, he said, Children's and UW executives had been discussing their common need for more-affordable housing near their campuses.

The university happened to have a promising development site: a parking lot covering nearly an acre, acquired in 2006 as part of its purchase of Safeco's U District holdings.

The two institutions solicited proposals from developers this year. Security Properties, which has acquired or developed 440 complexes across the country during its 40-year history, was selected in August.

The company has leased the property from the university for 50 years. Children's is jump-starting the $40 million project's financing with a $6 million, low-interest loan.

That favorable financing is helping Security to set aside 34 of Curve's 184 units for tenants earning no more than 75 percent of the area's median income, or about $51,000 for a two-person household, said John Marasco, the company's chief development officer.

The loan also allows Security to build more large apartments � two- and three-bedroom units � than most developers are building today, he added: "They [Children's and UW] wanted larger units to attract staff with young families."

There's another reason: Laurelon Terrace had 66 two- and three-bedroom units. Children's deal with the city requires that the replacement project contain at least that many.

Preliminary plans call for three buildings of four, six and eight stories, separated by plazas. The building at the corner of 11th and 47th would have ground-floor space for shops or cafes.

Security filed permit applications late last month. Marasco hopes to start construction in early 2013 and finish the complex in late 2014.

It could face plenty of competition. Developers plan to build an additional 640 apartments in the University District by 2015, according to research firm Dupre + Scott Apartment Advisors.

The largest, 284 units, would be across 11th from Curve. Both are near Sound Transit's planned U District light-rail station.

Children's and the university both expect Curve will help get more workers out of their cars. While the complex would be within walking distance of the university, it's nearly two miles from the hospital's main campus.

But there's a good alternative to driving, Johnson said: The hospital already runs a shuttle to Laurelhurst from offices it leases in a U District building a couple blocks away.

Apartments at Curve would be offered to UW and Children's workers before they are marketed to the public. Marasco said he expects employees of the two institutions will make up a good share of the residents: Worker surveys by the two employers found much interest in living closer to work, and that influenced Curve's design.

What's more, Marasco said, Security's Epicenter complex in Fremont, two miles farther from the UW campus, already attracts university employees and students.

"So we know they're out there," he said.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 00:50

Mrit: Sep 26, 2007; by exmarx; Grimey Drawer

Gerund posted:

We're talking about a city that is building a tunnel underneath downtown at a ridiculous cost to connect Vulcan Inc's SLU developments to Vulcan Inc's SoDo developments. It perhaps isn't one company but there is far too much power given to larger developers in this city.

But enh, egg on my face, its some other company town being developed as we speak:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017058160_childrens21.html

So... UW/Children's is building housing that they are legally required to replace, where workers aren't forced to live but they have 'priority' over other tenants.

Sorry, where's the part where I'm supposed to be mad? That's potentially 186 people that aren't in traffic next to me. That's people who's lives are bettered by not having a soul crushing commute to their home in Lake Stevens or something. Not to mention how much better apartment living is for the environment.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 02:15

Kurt_Cobain: Jul 9, 2001

Gerund posted:

We're talking about a city that is building a tunnel underneath downtown at a ridiculous cost to connect Vulcan Inc's SLU developments to Vulcan Inc's SoDo developments. It perhaps isn't one company but there is far too much power given to larger developers in this city.

But enh, egg on my face, its some other company town being developed as we speak:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017058160_childrens21.html

This is the Ava apartments, I believe they are done or close to done.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 02:32

silicone thrills: Jan 9, 2008; I paint things

Gerund posted:

We're talking about a city that is building a tunnel underneath downtown at a ridiculous cost to connect Vulcan Inc's SLU developments to Vulcan Inc's SoDo developments. It perhaps isn't one company but there is far too much power given to larger developers in this city.

But enh, egg on my face, its some other company town being developed as we speak:

http://seattletimes.com/html/businesstechnology/2017058160_childrens21.html

Out of curiosity, what was your vote choice on what to do with the viaduct? I voted to tear it down and make it a flat boulevard.

Also - Children's is trying to make it possible for their employees to live near work which is actually very desirable in a job for many people.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 02:36

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Company towns trapped you in poverty; that was the problem. Employee housing has nothing to do with that. Is going with store brand Company Store oppression? That talking point probably originates from an interest who sees in employee-housing a budding turf war and wants public resistance on their side.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 02:49

Kurt_Cobain: Jul 9, 2001

Tigntink posted:

Also - Children's is trying to make it possible for their employees to live near work which is actually very desirable in a job for many people.

They are very proactive in promoting better commutes and such. Carpooling program, free or subsidized bus passes and I am pretty sure they still pay people to bike to work. The community they are in doesn't like their presence all that much and stifles expansion for things like parking garages and such so they try things like this. Not really seeing the company town angle.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 03:33

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

When I lived in China for a bit it was nice seeing a good city planned out. Dirt cheap lightrail across the whole city, ~30 story apartment buildings every few blocks downtown (so you don't have to commute) with low rents, etc. The culture was pretty weird but at least they're good at urban planning.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 06:31

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Edit: This should probably go in the Seattle thread, actually

# ? Apr 4, 2014 06:35

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

effectual posted:

When I lived in China for a bit it was nice seeing a good city planned out. Dirt cheap lightrail across the whole city, ~30 story apartment buildings every few blocks downtown (so you don't have to commute) with low rents, etc. The culture was pretty weird but at least they're good at urban planning.

I'm sorry, I'm from Seattle; urban what?

# ? Apr 4, 2014 07:44

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Didn't you guys just elect a mayor opposed to urban density, too?

Accretionist fucked around with this message at 08:00 on Apr 4, 2014

# ? Apr 4, 2014 07:46

FRINGE: May 23, 2003; title stolen for lf posting

Thanatosian posted:

I'm sorry, I'm from Seattle; urban what?

Someone told me that one reason some neighborhoods are so difficult/disconnected was that back in Ye Olden Dayes some powerful rich people went to battle via city planners and tried to keep "those people" (the other group) from being able to get in easily. (Queen Anne was the example.)

Confirm/deny urban myth?

# ? Apr 4, 2014 07:59

mod sassinator: Dec 13, 2006; I came here to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum,
and I'm All out of Ass

FRINGE posted:

Someone told me that one reason some neighborhoods are so difficult/disconnected was that back in Ye Olden Dayes some powerful rich people went to battle via city planners and tried to keep "those people" (the other group) from being able to get in easily. (Queen Anne was the example.)

Confirm/deny urban myth?

Haha wouldn't surprise me. West seattle has probably been trying to secede for years and break off into its own island. I can think of few other hells than trying to get from the east side to west seattle at 5pm on a Friday.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 08:05

shrike82: Jun 11, 2005

Feels like the thread itself is getting gentrified with Amazon staffers coming out of the woodwork.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 12:17

woke wedding drone: Jun 1, 2003; by exmarx; Fun Shoe

FRINGE posted:

Someone told me that one reason some neighborhoods are so difficult/disconnected was that back in Ye Olden Dayes some powerful rich people went to battle via city planners and tried to keep "those people" (the other group) from being able to get in easily. (Queen Anne was the example.)

Confirm/deny urban myth?

Well in Tacoma, there's a reason all the black people live on one side of 6th Avenue. Up until a few decades ago agents wouldn't show them houses anywhere else. That said, the federal government itself encouraged these divisions (have a look at old FHA pamphlets on designing neighborhoods).

# ? Apr 4, 2014 14:21

TheBalor: Jun 18, 2001

I have no idea why people hate high-density living. I lived in a series of sprawly towns in Oregon all my life, and following that Korea and Taiwan were like a breath of fresh air (figuratively, not literally. Yellow dust.) Literally dozens of shops within a single block, with entire commercial districts tucked away in alleyways. I know it's supposed to be ~soulless~, but I think a densely crowded cityscape feels more alive than a sterile procession of townhouses and chain stores.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 15:15

computer parts: Nov 18, 2010; PLEASE CLAP

TheBalor posted:

I have no idea why people hate high-density living. I lived in a series of sprawly towns in Oregon all my life, and following that Korea and Taiwan were like a breath of fresh air (figuratively, not literally. Yellow dust.) Literally dozens of shops within a single block, with entire commercial districts tucked away in alleyways. I know it's supposed to be ~soulless~, but I think a densely crowded cityscape feels more alive than a sterile procession of townhouses and chain stores.

Because there's too many people. I am anticipating my trip to Beijing this summer but not because of the thousands of people I have to crowd with to use the subway (and that particular anecdote is from my girlfriend, who is Chinese and grew up with that sort of environment).

Also you should hear my dad complain about how crowded Oregon is now, although when he was born there were only ~1.5 million people there.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 15:18

TheBalor: Jun 18, 2001

computer parts posted:

Because there's too many people. I am anticipating my trip to Beijing this summer but not because of the thousands of people I have to crowd with to use the subway (and that particular anecdote is from my girlfriend, who is Chinese and grew up with that sort of environment).

Also you should hear my dad complain about how crowded Oregon is now, although when he was born there were only ~1.5 million people there.

Different strokes, I suppose. It doesn't need to be China-dense, but a lot of the PNW could stand to be smooshed in tighter, particularly in the valley.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 15:21

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

shrike82 posted:

Feels like the thread itself is getting gentrified with Amazon staffers coming out of the woodwork.

I don't work for Amazon, and I was forced out of an apartment I loved last year due to increased rent. I still recognize that development is a necessary thing, and just because it sucks for me in that one aspect of my life doesn't mean it sucks for the city as a whole.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 17:18

Space Gopher: Jul 31, 2006; BLITHERING IDIOT AND HARDCORE DURIAN APOLOGIST. LET ME TELL YOU WHY THIS SHIT DON'T STINK EVEN THOUGH WE ALL KNOW IT DOES BECAUSE I'M SUPER CULTURED.

FRINGE posted:

Someone told me that one reason some neighborhoods are so difficult/disconnected was that back in Ye Olden Dayes some powerful rich people went to battle via city planners and tried to keep "those people" (the other group) from being able to get in easily. (Queen Anne was the example.)

Confirm/deny urban myth?

Yes and no - it wasn't a "those people" thing, it was a three-way fight between rich land developers in the mid-to-late 1800s. Doc Maynard, Arthur Denny, and Carson Boren all owned big chunks of land around Seattle, and were trying to have the streets lined up to follow their piece of waterfront or existing connections to road networks that ran through their land. They couldn't come to an agreement, so they basically each just laid out their plat the way they wanted it. That's why downtown is at an angle compared to most of the rest of the city. Add in the funky geometry of the land itself, and massive earthmoving projects like the Denny Regrade (that created its own new little grid!), and you get Seattle's tremendously hosed up street layout.

Queen Anne is kind of isolated because, you have to either cross the water, go through both the downtown and Denny Triangle grid sections, or come through the narrow section around South Lake Union that's actually aligned to the rest of the county's grid to get there.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 17:31

Esmerelda: Dec 1, 2009

FRINGE posted:

Someone told me that one reason some neighborhoods are so difficult/disconnected was that back in Ye Olden Dayes some powerful rich people went to battle via city planners and tried to keep "those people" (the other group) from being able to get in easily. (Queen Anne was the example.)

Confirm/deny urban myth?

If you're interested at all in the history of Seattle, read Sons of the Prophets, it's an entertaining read. It also makes any trip to Lake View Cemetery more than just visiting Bruce Lee's grave, the city's history is buried up there too.

Regarding development, the problem I've had with it (and what made me move out of the city limits) has a lot to do with this:

quote:

Recent rent increases can be blind-siding. With 60 days� notice, Seattle landlords can legally increase rents as much as they want. Renters have flooded the Tenants Union of Washington State hotline in the last year, shocked at getting monthly rent increases of $300 and more.

It's from an old Seattle Times article

Following that up with the whole story that 1/3rd of homes in the Seattle area are unaffordable for the average person (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/54865367/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/). Not really a surprise for anyone not making Amazon money

# ? Apr 4, 2014 18:13

Mrit: Sep 26, 2007; by exmarx; Grimey Drawer

Esmerelda posted:

If you're interested at all in the history of Seattle, read Sons of the Prophets, it's an entertaining read. It also makes any trip to Lake View Cemetery more than just visiting Bruce Lee's grave, the city's history is buried up there too.

In fact, read everything written by William Speidel for a glimpse into the anti-California movement in the mid-1980's, and truth about what a dick Arthur Denny was.

"Doc Maynard" is my favorite, I also loved "The Wet Side of the Mountains". But I'm a huge Seattle history nerd.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 18:24

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

Esmerelda posted:

Regarding development, the problem I've had with it (and what made me move out of the city limits) has a lot to do with this:

It's from an old Seattle Times article

Following that up with the whole story that 1/3rd of homes in the Seattle area are unaffordable for the average person (http://www.nbcnews.com/id/54865367/ns/local_news-seattle_wa/). Not really a surprise for anyone not making Amazon money

You do realize that development does not cause housing prices to go up, right? More housing=cheaper housing.

What causes housing prices to go up is an increase in demand or a decrease in supply.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 18:30

Esmerelda: Dec 1, 2009

Thanatosian posted:

You do realize that development does not cause housing prices to go up, right? More housing=cheaper housing.

What causes housing prices to go up is an increase in demand or a decrease in supply.

I understand the economics of it, I have a hard time with ignoring the immediate impact of what things are like right this second. The length of time necessary for the market to even out doesn't help the people being priced out of the city now.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:10

namaste friends: Sep 18, 2004; by Smythe

What's reasonable price for renting a 400 sqft 1 br place in Greenwood, built in 2000?

I'm paying 1150 right now.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:27

Ham Equity: Apr 16, 2013; The first thing we do, let's kill all the cars.; Grimey Drawer

Cultural Imperial posted:

What's reasonable price for renting a 400 sqft 1 br place in Greenwood, built in 2000?

I'm paying 1150 right now.

That... seems high for a one-bedroom in Greenwood, but it would depend upon the amenities.

Like, the best way to see if you're paying too much rent is to check Craigslist and try to find something better for less.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:30

Esmerelda: Dec 1, 2009

Cultural Imperial posted:

What's reasonable price for renting a 400 sqft 1 br place in Greenwood, built in 2000?

I'm paying 1150 right now.

This is what bothers me and why the whole supply/demand thing as an answer pisses me off so much. Reasonable is not a word that describes that situation at all and I'm hoping that you're just trolling me

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:31

namaste friends: Sep 18, 2004; by Smythe

Thanatosian posted:

That... seems high for a one-bedroom in Greenwood, but it would depend upon the amenities.

Like, the best way to see if you're paying too much rent is to check Craigslist and try to find something better for less.

It's one of those "professionally" managed buildings. I can't believe no one had developed a site that calculates a rent index for a given neighbourhood.

My lease is only for 6 months so gently caress this place.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:43

silicone thrills: Jan 9, 2008; I paint things

Publicola has some charts and graphs about the current housing situation.

http://www.seattlemet.com/articles/supply-and-demand-in-seattles-apartment-market-april-2014

quote:

Although the average rent in Seattle has been going up steadily in recent years, most of that increase is thanks to the inclusion in the average of some very expensive new apartments that are, Scott said yesterday, "concentrated in the $1,300 to $2,000 range"; rents at older buildings�those constructed in 2009 or earlier, which range from about $800 to about $1,300�have actually risen more slowly than the cost of operating those same buildings.

Hate to tear away from housing chat but yet again the Seattle Police have shot and killed a man who clearly had no gun. I'm not anti cop or anti gun, I grew up with a mother who was a police officer but I am extremely bothered that they shot a man who only had a knife. Either he was in a very bad situation and felt that he had to rob the bank or he may have been mentally ill. It didn't sound like the man was making any moves towards the police officers with the knife. Why not wait it out? They had him cornered.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/04/alleged-bank-robber-fatally-shot-by-seattle-police-identified/

quote:

Seattle police say a robbery detective shot Spafford because the man was armed with a knife

Either that wording is hosed up or it really is incredibly tragic.

silicone thrills fucked around with this message at 19:58 on Apr 4, 2014

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:50

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Cultural Imperial posted:

What's reasonable price for renting a 400 sqft 1 br place in Greenwood, built in 2000?

I'm paying 1150 right now.

Padmapper.com is apartment listings done as a google maps overlay; it's great. And it looks you're at the high end of the range.

# ? Apr 4, 2014 19:54

FRINGE: May 23, 2003; title stolen for lf posting

Tigntink posted:

Either that wording is hosed up or it really is incredibly tragic.

As a veteran of the CotB threads, I can tell you that was probably not a mis-print. At least it was not: "Seattle police say a robbery detective shot Spafford because the man may have had something in his pockets".

Oh CotB, how we miss thee.

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:00

Kilo147: Apr 14, 2007; You remind me of the boss
What boss?
The boss with the power
What power?
The power of voodoo
Who-doo?
You do.
Do what?
Remind me of the Boss.

Brandishing a toy gun is no different than brandishing a real gun.

Well, assuming the toy gun looks just like a real gun. Obviously a Super Soaker can't be mistaken for a P99 or Sig.

Edit: well, old super soakers, the neon colored ones with the water tank.

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:07

got any sevens: Feb 9, 2013; by Cyrano4747

Tigntink posted:

Publicola has some charts and graphs about the current housing situation.

http://www.seattlemet.com/articles/supply-and-demand-in-seattles-apartment-market-april-2014

Hate to tear away from housing chat but yet again the Seattle Police have shot and killed a man who clearly had no gun. I'm not anti cop or anti gun, I grew up with a mother who was a police officer but I am extremely bothered that they shot a man who only had a knife. Either he was in a very bad situation and felt that he had to rob the bank or he may have been mentally ill. It didn't sound like the man was making any moves towards the police officers with the knife. Why not wait it out? They had him cornered.

http://blogs.seattletimes.com/today/2014/04/alleged-bank-robber-fatally-shot-by-seattle-police-identified/

Either that wording is hosed up or it really is incredibly tragic.

Standard Operating Procedure. 2nd amendment guarantees machine guns, not knives! /sarcasm

Did you see the hobo with a knife that 6 ABQ cops were so afraid of they flashbanged him and executed him? Happened a couple weeks ago. Are cops still forced to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-lDtCHFmvg? "I'm never gonna die in no ghetto!"

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:09

mod sassinator: Dec 13, 2006; I came here to Kick Ass and Chew Bubblegum,
and I'm All out of Ass

Just saw Pyramid has a new india pale lager beer and drat is it delicious. Lots of flavor but still really smooth--I could drink this all day. One of the hidden gems of the PNW is the insane amount of great beers. I'm also a huge fan of Fremont Brewing Company's stuff like their IPA or bourbon ale.

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:22

etalian: Mar 20, 2006

effectual posted:

Standard Operating Procedure. 2nd amendment guarantees machine guns, not knives! /sarcasm

Did you see the hobo with a knife that 6 ABQ cops were so afraid of they flashbanged him and executed him? Happened a couple weeks ago. Are cops still forced to watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-lDtCHFmvg? "I'm never gonna die in no ghetto!"

lol

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:23

andrew smash: Jun 26, 2006; smooth soul

effectual posted:

Did you see the hobo with a knife that 6 ABQ cops were so afraid of they flashbanged him and executed him?

There's helmet cam footage of this on youtube and it's hosed up.

# ? Apr 5, 2014 06:58

Spatula City: Oct 21, 2010; LET ME EXPLAIN TO YOU WHY YOU ARE WRONG ABOUT EVERYTHING

There's a reason Seattle has a popular local band called Don't Talk to the Cops. There's zero accountability, and the culture that led to the horrific response to WTO is still in place, as far as I can tell from the various scandals and how absolutely none of them ever resulted in the culprits having anything more serious than losing their jobs.
Personally, I don't like the cops because here in Federal Way, they spend a good solid 50% of their time on speed trap duty, the fuckers. It's not as if FW's a sleepy place where no crime happens. :argh:

# ? Apr 5, 2014 23:48

Gerund: Sep 12, 2007; He push a man

Thanatosian posted:

You do realize that development does not cause housing prices to go up, right? More housing=cheaper housing.

What causes housing prices to go up is an increase in demand or a decrease in supply.

This is sub-econ101 neoliberal pablum. Housing (and real estate as a whole) is by definition not fungible even within a building, much less a metropolitan area. Gentrification and feudal deprivation may not be the goal of Seattle, but building a dozen million dollar condos for every single working-family housing unit is not any way to 'fix' the housing crunch for the vast majority of taxpayers.

# ? Apr 5, 2014 23:57

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# ? Jun 3, 2024 12:53

Accretionist: Nov 7, 2012; I BELIEVE IN STUPID CONSPIRACY THEORIES

Thanatosian posted:

You do realize that development does not cause housing prices to go up, right? More housing=cheaper housing.

What causes housing prices to go up is an increase in demand or a decrease in supply.

You're assuming a perfectly spherical housing market of uniform density.

What if I'm a developer and I add multi-million dollar condos? Or a bunch of apartments whose rents are at least a standard deviation above the mean? There are a lot of additional factors on top of basic Supply and Demand.

Accretionist fucked around with this message at 00:17 on Apr 6, 2014

# ? Apr 6, 2014 00:14

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