Housing Hot Mess: Kansas City 'Inclusionary Zoning Policies' Explained

One of the best things we've read all week . . . 

An EXCEPTIONAL column from Patrick Touhey explains why giving away big bucks to Kansas City developers downtown is probably a bad idea that's not going to solve the shortage of local housing.

Here's the premise . . . 

There’s a growing chorus among policymakers in Kansas City, St. Louis, and around the country demanding that new housing developments “do their part” to solve inequality—most often through inclusionary zoning policies. These require or incentivize developers to include low-income units in otherwise market-rate buildings, usually in exchange for tax abatements or density bonuses (permission to build additional height, floor area, or dwelling units beyond what standard zoning allows). Sounds noble. But when you start to do the math, as MIT economist Evan Soltas did in a recent study, you realize the cost of these programs can be staggering—and they can be wildly inefficient.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

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