Developers do make a profit, but when restrictive rules limit what can be built, only expensive homes are feasible and get built. Prohibiting certain home types and imposing costly approval processes doesn’t make sense for builders, for families, or for our city. Outdated rules on what and where you can build add untold costs to builders, making it nearly impossible for them to build anything other than a McMansion, thus driving up prices for prospective homebuyers. When not enough homes get built, we end up with a seller’s market, and landlords and sellers have leverage to exploit competition between buyers and renters. Making it easier to build more home types levels the playing field because more building projects get completed, and our families, seniors, and workforce can find homes at price points they need. 

Allowing more home types also creates more opportunities for local builders. Small businesses are eager to meet their communities’ demands for more affordable housing options, but are either banned from building anything but “McMansions” or get caught up in the opaque, discretionary bureaucratic processes that are nearly impossible to navigate for all but the largest companies with lawyers on deck. Expanding building opportunities means more local businesses can grow and contribute to the local economy.