The Fork In The Road

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Mark Kindt
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Sun Jun 16, 2019 3:03 pm

Public Land, Public Subsidies -- Policy Outcome: Totally Unaffordable Housing

Most of us know college-educated families who work in Lakewood and cannot afford to buy a home in the city where they work. What's wrong with that picture?

Two examples:

1. Clifton Point was built with public subsidies in the form of taxation deferrals. Policy outcome: Upscale townhouses only affordable by the highly-compensated or the wealthy.

2. One Lakewood Place will be built on public land with public subsidies. Policy outcome: More expensive upscale townhouses. Apartment units with rents north of $1,000/month.


Stan Austin
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Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Stan Austin » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:07 pm

It's subsidized housing. The owner/occupants payroll taxes won't equal the subsidies of the new housing units much less add a plus to the net public aggregate.


Richard Baker
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Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 12:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Richard Baker » Sun Jun 16, 2019 5:51 pm

There will be no cheap new development condos and apartments, they are being built for profit and not socialist housing. However, there are single family homes reasonably priced that are reasonably priced in Lakewood but in my opinion, this is not the issue. The issues are:

1. City has one of the highest property tax rates in northern Ohio
2. Nonexistent health care and emergency facilities for a city of 55,000
3. A mediocre public-school system, they spend money on bricks and salary’s instead of students’
education. Why would a family move into a city and pay high property taxes, then have to send their children to parochial schools so they can get a decent education?
4. Crime rate, you have a chance of 1 in 39 being involved in a crime and 82 percent of the cities in Ohio are safer to live in than Lakewood. A mayor in denial who’s blaming the reporting methods and an inert and inept police chief, that must be busy commuting to and from his home in another city
5. Is one of or the highest densely populated cities in the United States. The city’s hair brain development strategy to make it denser with apartment and condos and no requirements for green space or parking is asinine
6. Lack of retail shopping center, you have to leave the city to shop. However, the bar and restaurant businesses are booming
7. Water and sewage rates, are high and will get higher with a failing sewage infrastructure
8. Erosion of single-family residential areas with high density developments and commercial expansion
9. Many streets are in need of resurfacing
10. Vacant storefronts
11. City of Lakewood is located in Cuyahoga County
12. City of Lakewood has a dysfunctional city council and mayor who have hidden agendas and closed-door policy. The city is also managed by inept and inert appointed department heads.

Would you move your family to Lakewood?


Mark Kindt
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Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Mon Jun 17, 2019 10:01 am

Affordability Is A Real Issue For Lakewood Residents

In my next several posts, I am going to look at the issue of housing affordability.

Why should Lakewood residents be taxed to subsidize luxury townhouses that most of them could never ever afford?

We will use U.S.Census data and standard mortgage calculators to look at this issue.

Why are we "baking" this into our municipal public policy?

Why are Democrats asking blue-collar families to finance housing for the affluent?


cmager
Posts: 696
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 8:33 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby cmager » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:08 am

Mark Kindt wrote:Why are Democrats asking blue-collar families to finance housing for the affluent?

Because they are NOT Democrats. (repeat)...(repeat, again)...(repeat, again)...(repeat again)...
They are playing by what is the GOP playbook in every other place in America, excepting NEO.


Bill Call
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Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2005 1:10 pm

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Bill Call » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:15 pm

It’s important to a lot of people that the City of Lakewood be controlled by a Mayor and Council that has a regional outlook.

When news first broke that Lakewood Hospital would be moved to Avon our finance director stated that it didn’t matter because the region wouldn’t lose anything. I found that odd. Nobody at County government is pushing Westlake to get the regional spirit and share the wealth. Nobody at County government is pushing Parma to close its hospital and move it to Medina.

I am not aware of any public official in any city in Cuyahoga County that believes that losing a major employer to Lorain or Medina County is no big deal because the region won’t lose anything.

We can’t get back the Hospital.

We can’t get back the $70 million or so in cash that was transferred to private foundations.

We can’t get back 1,500 high paying medical jobs.

We can’t get back $2 million per year in rent and income tax revenue.

We can’t get back land and real estate sold for pennies on the dollar.

We CAN get back City Hall and restore honest government.

This election will give the people of Lakewood an opportunity to elect a clean slate. It’s important to a lot of people that we fail.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:33 pm

Mark Kindt wrote:Affordability Is A Real Issue For Lakewood Residents

In my next several posts, I am going to look at the issue of housing affordability.

Why should Lakewood residents be taxed to subsidize luxury townhouses that most of them could never ever afford?

We will use U.S.Census data and standard mortgage calculators to look at this issue.

Why are we "baking" this into our municipal public policy?

Why are Democrats asking blue-collar families to finance housing for the affluent?



Let me rephrase my question to make it non-partisan.

Why are elected Lakewood officials asking working class families to finance new housing for the affluent?


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Mon Jun 17, 2019 1:34 pm

Public Land Used To Support Housing For The Affluent

Here we can see public real estate used to subsidize high-end real estate development that can only be afforded by the most affluent residents in our City.

Public Subsidies Create Unaffordable Housing in Lakewood - Example 1.jpg
Public Subsidies Create Unaffordable Housing in Lakewood - Example 1.jpg (137.83 KiB) Viewed 16610 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:04 pm

Tax Deferral Used To Support Housing For The Affluent

Here we can see tax deferral (a form of tax abatement) used to subsidize high-end real estate development that can only be afforded by the most affluent residents in our City.

Public Subsidies Create Unaffordable Housing in Lakewood - Example 2.jpg
Public Subsidies Create Unaffordable Housing in Lakewood - Example 2.jpg (135.2 KiB) Viewed 16600 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue Jun 18, 2019 12:34 pm

Belaboring The Obvious

Anybody reading this thinking that the townhouses to be built on the demolished hospital site will be affordable to anyone other than the affluent?

Here we have public assets (a hospital), public real estate, and public funds being used to subsidize upscale housing that no ordinary family can ever afford.

Folks, this isn't an accident, it's long-term policy execution.

Last night the city council vote was unanimous in support of the project.

Those who will never be able to afford the new housing in Lakewood shoulder their tax and rate burden while watching public wealth transfers to developers and their affluent customers and then, get this, at the same time watch the public healthcare safety net get demolished.

Only in Lakewood.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue Jun 18, 2019 2:50 pm

Mark Kindt wrote:Belaboring The Obvious

Anybody reading this thinking that the townhouses to be built on the demolished hospital site will be affordable to anyone other than the affluent?

Here we have public assets (a hospital), public real estate, and public funds being used to subsidize upscale housing that no ordinary family can ever afford.

Folks, this isn't an accident, it's long-term policy execution.

Last night the city council vote was unanimous in support of the project.

Those who will never be able to afford the new housing in Lakewood shoulder their higher tax and higher rate burden while watching public wealth transfers to developers and their affluent customers and then, get this, at the same time watch the public healthcare safety net get demolished.

Only in Lakewood.


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Tue Jun 18, 2019 5:06 pm

The Chart Speaks For Itself
Strutural Exclusion of Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families.jpg
Strutural Exclusion of Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families.jpg (118.96 KiB) Viewed 16523 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Wed Jun 19, 2019 9:52 am

Chart Expanded To Be More Inclusive

If our municipality and school board elect to support developers with public assets, public land, or public funds, most residents would not be able to finance a townhouse at present market rates.
Attachments
Structural Exclusion of Seniors, Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families.jpg
Structural Exclusion of Seniors, Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families.jpg (159.71 KiB) Viewed 16441 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Thu Jun 20, 2019 10:01 am

This Is Worse Than I Ever Imagined.

Next we will see if an ordinary resident of Lakewood will be able to afford the new apartments that are planned for construction.

Remember that the One Lakewood Place apartments are being built with millions of dollars in public subsides from the City.

Structural Exclusion of Seniors, Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families -- Apartments.jpg
Structural Exclusion of Seniors, Veterans, Union Members, Teachers and Average Families -- Apartments.jpg (205.7 KiB) Viewed 16373 times


Mark Kindt
Posts: 2637
Joined: Sat Dec 03, 2016 11:06 am

Re: The Fork In The Road

Postby Mark Kindt » Thu Jun 20, 2019 4:53 pm

The Bottom Line

A two bedroom apartment at Center North costs over $1700 per month.

That would require a combined household income around $82,000 per year to afford.

No ordinary resident can afford to finance a townhouse at One Lakewood Place.

And, worse, few ordinary residents will be able to afford to rent an apartment there either.

Let's demolish our hospital, spend $7,000,000 in clean-up, donate the hospital land for $1.00 -- All -- Just so we can have luxury housing most residents can never afford.

Excellent job, my fellow Democrats!



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