David Binnig
@binnig.bsky.social
Portlander. Transportation & housing hobbyist.
Reposted by David Binnig
If we had invested in Section 8 vouchers instead of 100% affordable buildings, flat market rents wouldn't lead to the inefficiency (empty homes) @jonathanmbach.bsky.social flags here.
Instead, when subsidies required per household fell, we'd automatically shift to subsidizing more households.
Instead, when subsidies required per household fell, we'd automatically shift to subsidizing more households.
December 2, 2025 at 4:43 PM
If we had invested in Section 8 vouchers instead of 100% affordable buildings, flat market rents wouldn't lead to the inefficiency (empty homes) @jonathanmbach.bsky.social flags here.
Instead, when subsidies required per household fell, we'd automatically shift to subsidizing more households.
Instead, when subsidies required per household fell, we'd automatically shift to subsidizing more households.
Reposted by David Binnig
- why are we charging per parking spots for patios outside of parking meter districts?
- why are the code requirements for patios so extreme so that so few existing patios can meet them without expensive upgrades?
- why are the code requirements for patios so extreme so that so few existing patios can meet them without expensive upgrades?
December 2, 2025 at 4:03 PM
- why are we charging per parking spots for patios outside of parking meter districts?
- why are the code requirements for patios so extreme so that so few existing patios can meet them without expensive upgrades?
- why are the code requirements for patios so extreme so that so few existing patios can meet them without expensive upgrades?
Luke Droidwright after his father’s only useful occupation.
November 27, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Luke Droidwright after his father’s only useful occupation.
Wine bottle on the liquor shelf is interesting because you can see ex post that it’s an artifact of the program’s lack of a concept of bar organization, but without knowing the source it’s odd rather than conclusive.
November 27, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Wine bottle on the liquor shelf is interesting because you can see ex post that it’s an artifact of the program’s lack of a concept of bar organization, but without knowing the source it’s odd rather than conclusive.
I really liked her mother-in-law’s work (Yoshida Fujio):
November 24, 2025 at 2:22 AM
I really liked her mother-in-law’s work (Yoshida Fujio):
Yeah I am ultimately fine with council trying this approach. Good to try something!
November 23, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Yeah I am ultimately fine with council trying this approach. Good to try something!
So in that sense I think businesses are wrong, but not crazy, to express this concern.
But to the extent that the *stated* reasons for impact fees are in part pretextual & not to be applied elsewhere, does that open the ordinance to legal challenges? I don’t know, I’m out of my depth there.
But to the extent that the *stated* reasons for impact fees are in part pretextual & not to be applied elsewhere, does that open the ordinance to legal challenges? I don’t know, I’m out of my depth there.
November 23, 2025 at 4:58 PM
So in that sense I think businesses are wrong, but not crazy, to express this concern.
But to the extent that the *stated* reasons for impact fees are in part pretextual & not to be applied elsewhere, does that open the ordinance to legal challenges? I don’t know, I’m out of my depth there.
But to the extent that the *stated* reasons for impact fees are in part pretextual & not to be applied elsewhere, does that open the ordinance to legal challenges? I don’t know, I’m out of my depth there.
• So if you take the reasoning seriously, it’s not crazy for businesses to worry about setting a precedent of charging land owners for costs imposed partly by (antagonistic) third parties.
• It’s clear to me that council does not intend to extend the same logic to other, more sympathetic uses.
• It’s clear to me that council does not intend to extend the same logic to other, more sympathetic uses.
November 23, 2025 at 4:51 PM
• So if you take the reasoning seriously, it’s not crazy for businesses to worry about setting a precedent of charging land owners for costs imposed partly by (antagonistic) third parties.
• It’s clear to me that council does not intend to extend the same logic to other, more sympathetic uses.
• It’s clear to me that council does not intend to extend the same logic to other, more sympathetic uses.
Right, what I would say is:
• The proposed ordinance is narrowly limited to detention facilities and does not affect other uses.
• The stated reasons for the impact fee (incl. traffic management, police & fire response costs) are not all unique to detention facilities.
• The proposed ordinance is narrowly limited to detention facilities and does not affect other uses.
• The stated reasons for the impact fee (incl. traffic management, police & fire response costs) are not all unique to detention facilities.
November 23, 2025 at 4:49 PM
Right, what I would say is:
• The proposed ordinance is narrowly limited to detention facilities and does not affect other uses.
• The stated reasons for the impact fee (incl. traffic management, police & fire response costs) are not all unique to detention facilities.
• The proposed ordinance is narrowly limited to detention facilities and does not affect other uses.
• The stated reasons for the impact fee (incl. traffic management, police & fire response costs) are not all unique to detention facilities.
Neat. This is what I’ve got:
November 22, 2025 at 4:13 AM
Neat. This is what I’ve got:
Right, obviously this ordinance doesn’t apply to other uses, and Portland’s council in practice would not apply the same police/traffic impact logic to more locally sympathetic uses.
& I don’t really know whether that targeting itself makes this legally vulnerable.
& I don’t really know whether that targeting itself makes this legally vulnerable.
November 20, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Right, obviously this ordinance doesn’t apply to other uses, and Portland’s council in practice would not apply the same police/traffic impact logic to more locally sympathetic uses.
& I don’t really know whether that targeting itself makes this legally vulnerable.
& I don’t really know whether that targeting itself makes this legally vulnerable.
Right, my thinking was that if right-wing protestors were regularly blocking traffic outside health centers I wouldn’t think it was just sensible Pigouvian cost internalization to charge Planned Parenthood an impact fee.
But under the circumstances I’m pretty willing to let council try something.
But under the circumstances I’m pretty willing to let council try something.
November 20, 2025 at 9:11 PM
Right, my thinking was that if right-wing protestors were regularly blocking traffic outside health centers I wouldn’t think it was just sensible Pigouvian cost internalization to charge Planned Parenthood an impact fee.
But under the circumstances I’m pretty willing to let council try something.
But under the circumstances I’m pretty willing to let council try something.
I don’t know—on some level I basically trust Portland city council not to use this mechanism in ways I would dislike, but in the abstract I can see a concern about creating something like a heckler’s veto for divisive land use.
November 20, 2025 at 8:42 PM
I don’t know—on some level I basically trust Portland city council not to use this mechanism in ways I would dislike, but in the abstract I can see a concern about creating something like a heckler’s veto for divisive land use.
Glad to see this is still online.
theonion.com/area-stoners...
theonion.com/area-stoners...
Area Stoners Mistakenly Hold Massive Kemp Rally
BOULDER, CO—A diverse group of marijuana advocates, or "stoners" as they are popularly known, mistakenly held a massive rally in support of Republican party vice-presidential nominee Jack Kemp yesterd...
theonion.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Glad to see this is still online.
theonion.com/area-stoners...
theonion.com/area-stoners...
I think the point isn't that there *won't* be a deterrent effect, but that the fees probably have to be related and proportionate to costs to clear the Nollan/Dolan test—so lawmakers should be careful to emphasize that that's the intent.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheetz_...
(But IANAL.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheetz_...
(But IANAL.)
Sheetz v. County of El Dorado - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:15 PM
I think the point isn't that there *won't* be a deterrent effect, but that the fees probably have to be related and proportionate to costs to clear the Nollan/Dolan test—so lawmakers should be careful to emphasize that that's the intent.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheetz_...
(But IANAL.)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheetz_...
(But IANAL.)
To paraphrase Karl Popper, you don’t have to eliminate the causes of cold weather before you put on a coat.
November 20, 2025 at 6:31 AM
To paraphrase Karl Popper, you don’t have to eliminate the causes of cold weather before you put on a coat.
NA beers are mostly not quite there on taste for me but I’ve been appreciating the appearance of local low-alcohol craft light beers.
November 18, 2025 at 3:14 AM
NA beers are mostly not quite there on taste for me but I’ve been appreciating the appearance of local low-alcohol craft light beers.
Maximal version of this is Chekhov’s bear trap in Straw Dogs (1971).
November 16, 2025 at 6:55 AM
Maximal version of this is Chekhov’s bear trap in Straw Dogs (1971).
I meant to reply to this post but yeah this goes back at least to Plato (who was also bad).
bsky.app/profile/cwsp...
bsky.app/profile/cwsp...
There's a tradition of didactic fiction and poetry (not just for children, not poorly written) that it fits with-- speculative fiction can easily (and has) been part of it, I'd argue
November 15, 2025 at 6:30 PM
I meant to reply to this post but yeah this goes back at least to Plato (who was also bad).
bsky.app/profile/cwsp...
bsky.app/profile/cwsp...