Ian Wolfe
@ianmwolfe.bsky.social
Baltimore stuff, mostly. Greektown good
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Thank you. It should go w/o saying but needs to be said, over & over. Neither the market nor the gov’t have capacity to meet the full spectrum of housing needs & incomes.
Just a reminder. Just b/c new market-rate housing opens up units (good thing usually, if aren’t physically displacing low-cost units), including lower-cost units, 1) doesn’t mean that all those units will all go to low-income households; 2) doesn’t provide long-term, stable, deeply affordable units.
November 28, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Thank you. It should go w/o saying but needs to be said, over & over. Neither the market nor the gov’t have capacity to meet the full spectrum of housing needs & incomes.
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
like, of course new things cost more than old things. new cars cost more than used cars do. but if you stopped making any new cars, all the used cars would quickly get very expensive both to lease or buy
this could be a complete strawman but I think a portion of bad housing takes involve the tacit assertion that newly constructed housing should command the same exchange price as or lower than for existing housing, which just doesn't make an awful lot of sense
November 28, 2025 at 5:40 PM
like, of course new things cost more than old things. new cars cost more than used cars do. but if you stopped making any new cars, all the used cars would quickly get very expensive both to lease or buy
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
uhero.hawaii.edu
November 28, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Interesting new working paper that studies chains of movers after the construction of a new apartment building in Honolulu.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
Paper finds that the project resulted in the opening up other, lower cost, housing on the island, benefiting the housing market overall.
“The rally is a last-ditch effort by bill opponents to make their case, up against social media–conversant bill supporters who have the weight of City Hall and the Cockeysville-based advocacy group BaltPOP on their side.” lmao but how do you REALLY feel?
Baltimore residents rally to say: bills removing zoning guardrails will worsen racial disparities, not heal them tinyurl.com/yc6vu3ft “We have heard every justification possible, every fallacy used to advance this bill."
Residents rally to say: removing zoning guardrails will worsen racial disparities, not heal them | Baltimore Brew
“We have heard every justification possible, every fallacy used to advance this bill,” protesters against Brandon Scott’s Baltimore upzoning measure said outside City Hall yesterday.
tinyurl.com
November 25, 2025 at 4:38 PM
“The rally is a last-ditch effort by bill opponents to make their case, up against social media–conversant bill supporters who have the weight of City Hall and the Cockeysville-based advocacy group BaltPOP on their side.” lmao but how do you REALLY feel?
if you ever rt’d Justice for Becky when Yitzy and Costello were bullying her for doing her job, hear her out now too
"Why I lost faith in zoning." tinyurl.com/5n8sh428 Baltimore’s former zoning board executive director, on why she supports @mayorbmscott.bsky.social bills to promote more density and multi-family housing in the city. [OP-ED]
Baltimore’s former zoning board director explains why she lost faith in zoning | Baltimore Brew
The mayor’s “Housing Options and Opportunity” legislation – including Bill 25-0066 – will go a long way toward fixing an unfair system. [OP-ED]
tinyurl.com
November 24, 2025 at 8:45 PM
if you ever rt’d Justice for Becky when Yitzy and Costello were bullying her for doing her job, hear her out now too
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Great piece on how density restrictions in zoning are essentially BS.
November 24, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Great piece on how density restrictions in zoning are essentially BS.
it appears the number of households in Baltimore City are coming back
November 23, 2025 at 1:57 PM
it appears the number of households in Baltimore City are coming back
"Baltimore now faces a choice: Do we want a city that adapts, welcomes new residents and gives longtime neighbors more options to stay? Or do we cling to a past shaped by exclusion and scarcity?" 🔥 from @ohamza.bsky.social
By enabling “gentle density,” @mayorbmscott.bsky.social
zoning legislation will support real people with real needs in my neighborhood. Anxieties about it, while sincere, are misplaced. tinyurl.com/29z4wv3f [OP-ED]
zoning legislation will support real people with real needs in my neighborhood. Anxieties about it, while sincere, are misplaced. tinyurl.com/29z4wv3f [OP-ED]
Scott’s zoning bills will support real people with real needs by enabling “gentle density” | Baltimore Brew
The changes will make Baltimore a city that welcomes new residents and gives longtime neighbors more options to stay. [OP-ED]
tinyurl.com
November 18, 2025 at 4:15 PM
"Baltimore now faces a choice: Do we want a city that adapts, welcomes new residents and gives longtime neighbors more options to stay? Or do we cling to a past shaped by exclusion and scarcity?" 🔥 from @ohamza.bsky.social
I planted this pepper cultivar ‘Armaggedon’ on a whim this year, thinking maybe I’d get one or two novelty peppers. But it did so well, I have dozens of these 1.3 million scoville things to deal with. I’ve nibbled off a couple of them and they’re hilarious hot. No idea what to do with them.
November 18, 2025 at 2:31 PM
I planted this pepper cultivar ‘Armaggedon’ on a whim this year, thinking maybe I’d get one or two novelty peppers. But it did so well, I have dozens of these 1.3 million scoville things to deal with. I’ve nibbled off a couple of them and they’re hilarious hot. No idea what to do with them.
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Homes barely appreciate, if at all. Owners struggle to maintain old homes while houses on their block go vacant. They (or heirs) too often lose the home or just leave if conditions get too bad, creating another vacant. The choice to add an income unit could help some people buy —or save—a home. 2/2
November 17, 2025 at 8:01 PM
Homes barely appreciate, if at all. Owners struggle to maintain old homes while houses on their block go vacant. They (or heirs) too often lose the home or just leave if conditions get too bad, creating another vacant. The choice to add an income unit could help some people buy —or save—a home. 2/2
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Harsh reality is SF homeownership in Black n-hoods of segregated, Rust Belt cities like Baltimore & Detroit do not built wealth. Just the opposite. As even City admits, many of these areas do not have “functioning housing market.” Baltimore is not high demand Brooklyn, SF, LA.
What happens…1/
What happens…1/
Baltimore residents, including Black residents, favor zoning that promotes home ownership as a way to build wealth and have a good quality of life. Why dismantle that with the @mayorbmscott.bsky.social administration's Bill 25-0066? [OP-ED] tinyurl.com/43psx9tb
Eroding the bedrock of single-family-zoned neighborhoods in Baltimore doesn’t make sense | Baltimore Brew
Residents, including Black residents, favor zoning that promotes home ownership as a way to build wealth and have a good quality of life. So why dismantle that with Bill 25-0066? [OP-ED]
tinyurl.com
November 17, 2025 at 7:47 PM
Harsh reality is SF homeownership in Black n-hoods of segregated, Rust Belt cities like Baltimore & Detroit do not built wealth. Just the opposite. As even City admits, many of these areas do not have “functioning housing market.” Baltimore is not high demand Brooklyn, SF, LA.
What happens…1/
What happens…1/
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
This man’s out here playing the populist talking about Roland Park et al, while living in Wyndhurst.
November 17, 2025 at 2:47 PM
This man’s out here playing the populist talking about Roland Park et al, while living in Wyndhurst.
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
MY left-YIMBY millennial Mayor has been signing every zoning reform bill that comes across his desk, is asking for even more to he sent his way, and is now playing Subway Builder on stream. What is your mayor getting into these days?
We're playing Subway Builder and Baltimore transportation with Mayor Brandon Scott. Watch the live stream now!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEnL...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEnL...
We're playing Subway Builder with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott
We’re gonna play Subway Builder with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott in a livestream on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. We’ll talk about transit issues, video games and more.
#Baltimore #BrandonScott…
www.youtube.com
November 14, 2025 at 2:33 AM
MY left-YIMBY millennial Mayor has been signing every zoning reform bill that comes across his desk, is asking for even more to he sent his way, and is now playing Subway Builder on stream. What is your mayor getting into these days?
‘Truly disappointing’ to see @bmorerenters.bsky.social shut down comments on this post just because it was being pointed out that actual Affordable housing groups like Habitat for Humanity and Healthcare for the Homeless testified in support of these bills. It’s a matter of record - why hide it?
November 9, 2025 at 1:00 AM
‘Truly disappointing’ to see @bmorerenters.bsky.social shut down comments on this post just because it was being pointed out that actual Affordable housing groups like Habitat for Humanity and Healthcare for the Homeless testified in support of these bills. It’s a matter of record - why hide it?
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Illinois will becoming the 5th state to eliminate local parking requirements for new development projects near transit, after:
—California (assembly bill 2097, 2022)
—Colorado (house bill 24–1304, 2024)
—Oregon (Land Conservation and Development Commission, 2022)
—Washington (house bill 1491, 2025)
—California (assembly bill 2097, 2022)
—Colorado (house bill 24–1304, 2024)
—Oregon (Land Conservation and Development Commission, 2022)
—Washington (house bill 1491, 2025)
Illinois will effectively eliminate parking minimum requirements in ~all of Chicago and much of its suburbs thanks to the transit funding bill that passed last night.
Also contains parking reform! This is a preliminary map of Chicagoland based on the People Over Parking Act provision.
It would also apply downstate though!
It would also apply downstate though!
October 31, 2025 at 3:26 PM
Illinois will becoming the 5th state to eliminate local parking requirements for new development projects near transit, after:
—California (assembly bill 2097, 2022)
—Colorado (house bill 24–1304, 2024)
—Oregon (Land Conservation and Development Commission, 2022)
—Washington (house bill 1491, 2025)
—California (assembly bill 2097, 2022)
—Colorado (house bill 24–1304, 2024)
—Oregon (Land Conservation and Development Commission, 2022)
—Washington (house bill 1491, 2025)
Jermaine Jones explaining vote to abolish parking mins: "What I will say when protecting our neighborhoods against gentrification [...], they deserve more than just parking requirements to protect them.
And if that's the only thing that we have in order to protect those residents, then shame on us."
And if that's the only thing that we have in order to protect those residents, then shame on us."
October 28, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Jermaine Jones explaining vote to abolish parking mins: "What I will say when protecting our neighborhoods against gentrification [...], they deserve more than just parking requirements to protect them.
And if that's the only thing that we have in order to protect those residents, then shame on us."
And if that's the only thing that we have in order to protect those residents, then shame on us."
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
One of my mantras is that neighborhoods are part of a community but neighbors don't want the community in their neighborhood.
Every Tuesday I have open office hours.
And every Tuesday somebody comes to tell me that their neighborhood is diverse (by their definition) and they just love it, but that they don’t want those people moving to their neighborhood.
The neighborhood is not theirs. It’s the city’s.
And every Tuesday somebody comes to tell me that their neighborhood is diverse (by their definition) and they just love it, but that they don’t want those people moving to their neighborhood.
The neighborhood is not theirs. It’s the city’s.
October 28, 2025 at 12:44 AM
One of my mantras is that neighborhoods are part of a community but neighbors don't want the community in their neighborhood.
Yeah, let’s see if all of the passionate transit advocates and the like keep up that momentum when it comes to advocating for those issues directly, not just to oppose something unrelated.
All things considered this was a 2 on the baltimore richter scale and if ppl want to pursue legislation addressing the non germane concerns raised in this debate thats great too.
October 28, 2025 at 11:32 AM
Yeah, let’s see if all of the passionate transit advocates and the like keep up that momentum when it comes to advocating for those issues directly, not just to oppose something unrelated.
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
1 Million Baltimoreans
October 28, 2025 at 12:01 AM
1 Million Baltimoreans
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Amplifying this, the council could—why haven’t they—enact anti-displacement laws, promote community land trusts, and give up pet projects to bolster code enforcement.
Opposition to modest zoning code changes & parking bills pending in Baltimore City Council seem expression of gen’l dissatisfaction w/ City gov’t competence, favoritism & lack of transparency on development issues. 100% share that. But I support the bills on their merits for reasons quoted by Brew.
Lobbying intensifies ahead of vote on @mayorbmscott.bsky.social controversial Baltimore zoning legislation. tinyurl.com/4vyj4a9c Opponents of two key bills – narrowly approved in a preliminary vote by the City Council – seek to flip votes at tomorrow’s meeting.
October 26, 2025 at 5:45 PM
Amplifying this, the council could—why haven’t they—enact anti-displacement laws, promote community land trusts, and give up pet projects to bolster code enforcement.
Reposted by Ian Wolfe
Baltimore City Council passes zoning bills removing mandatory off street parking requirements, lot and bulk regulations. Jones states using parking req. to protect legacy residents is wrongheaded and wants intentional tools to protect them. Impressive. @Zeke_Cohen
@pt-gray.bsky.social & @zacblanchardd11.bsky.social's yard size & parking requirement bills pass, no changes from last week. Once again James Torrence is accusing the Council of ignoring Black residents. Not my place to debate him but I do disagree.
October 27, 2025 at 9:32 PM
Baltimore City Council passes zoning bills removing mandatory off street parking requirements, lot and bulk regulations. Jones states using parking req. to protect legacy residents is wrongheaded and wants intentional tools to protect them. Impressive. @Zeke_Cohen