Last joining us in 2018, Chris Spoke is back on the show. He is the editor of Skyline, a newsletter focused on housing in Toronto. We’re going to do a deeper dive on a topic that Chris touched upon during his last appearance: inclusionary zoning.
After examining what has changed regarding supply issues since Chris’ last appearance, he explains inclusionary zoning and why it isn’t necessarily the best option. He talks about how policies in Toronto could be adjusted to better serve affordability and what solutions he thinks will be proposed in the near future.
Topics covered include:
- How much has the inclusionary zoning landscape changed since 2018?
- Why controlling prices won’t fix the supply problem.
- Two things Chris is optimistic about regarding housing supply.
- An explanation of what exactly inclusionary zoning is.
- The three goals that municipal councillors are trying to accomplish.
- Government clawing back value from properties and its negative effects.
- Tweaks that could make inclusionary zoning in Toronto more viable.
- Why Chris thinks that the worse the affordability becomes, the worse the proposed solutions become.
- Land values absorbing mandatory offset requirements.
- Thinking about every unintended consequence so that new requirements don’t decrease supply.
- How Chris sees this situation playing out over the next few years.
- A look at how inclusionary zoning has been executed in Portland.
- Who should pay for affordable housing, and in the most cost-effective way.
More about our guest….
Chris Spoke is the founder of August, a Toronto-based agency that designs and builds digital products.
Skyline: https://www.skylinenewsletter.com/
Chris’ previous appearance: https://commercialrealestatepodcast.com/yimby-chris-spoke-housing-matters/
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