Reproduced here for fair use and discussion purposes, My comments in bold.
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Mr. Kirchoff is a doctrinaire Leftist, committed to the idea that government solutions are the default choice for any problem. In a somewhat surprising departure, in this letter he calls for a more limited government approach. I think.
Read on:
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When it comes to facing problems, the simplest solution is often the best. (Will he propose the simplest solution, that is, will he tell the City to sit this one out? Well, no.)
Yet when it comes to solving Bozeman’s affordable housing problem, solutions from the City Commission over the years have been far from simple. I know, because I was involved in drafting the complicated and unwieldy ordinance that the current commission threw into the trash can of history — without it ever having produced a single unit of affordable housing. (A refreshing admission. The results matter to this man, which is a rare statement from a Leftist.)
Today, watching from the sidelines, I am more convinced than ever that the Bozeman City Commission would be best served by crafting a simple solution to the affordable housing problem. (He assumes there is a problem, and that problem is actionable by government. But I would not concede that. There is no right to own a home, nor is there a right to own that home in Bozeman, no matter how interested government might be in trumpeting such an outcome. Just by virtue of identifying some houses as "affordable" and others not, inserts an imbalance into the equation that cannot be reconciled. The ripple effects are manifold and uncontrollable.
That is why the City failed in its earlier attempts. This is not a case of a good idea being improperly executed. It is simply a bad idea, period.)
And it seems to me that the simplest solution, and the one most germane to the powers of government, is for the commission to enact an ordinance that prescribes two basic things: what kind of affordable housing the city wants, and how much the city wants the industry to create.
An ordinance that described the kind and quantity of affordable housing the city wants would keep things simple. The implementation of these two guidelines should be left up to the housing industry to make happen. Period. (That is, in contravention of market forces, economics, and supply/demand, builders will again be agents of government, implementing government's goals even if those goals contradict those of the builder. The fact that some part of the City's new methodology might be less onerous than its previous attempts in no way obviates this basic fact.)
Commissioners, forget about incentives and educating lenders; forget about fast-tracking affordable projects and creating land trusts; and, please, forget about less rigorous standards. Builders can supply quality affordable housing without the city giving up parkland, giving up impact fees, giving up regulatory review. (See? Apparently the City should keep its rigorous standards, and not give up on parks and regulation. Which makes one wonder what is different about Mr. Krichoff's new proposal as compared to what he legislated a decade ago. He never gets around to telling us.)
Just tell industry what you want. Make rules about what kind and how much. Then, get out of the way. Let builders work. Don’t give them the farm, but get out of their way. (Such sensible advice. Don't compromise on anything, but get out of their way. Keep your rules and requirements, but let them work. Does this make any sense on any level?)
If current commissioners can one day look back and say affordable housing was created under their watch, they will be able to say more than I can about mine. For bragging rights, keep it simple!
Steve Kirchhoff
Bozeman
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