2 ms·

I would say, in no particular order: 1) not as strong eminent domain (either law or willpower to use, idk) 2) similar to above with zoning 3) labor costs (ve

by dmoy 10y ago

I would say, in no particular order: 1) not as strong eminent domain (either law or willpower to use, idk) 2) similar to above with zoning 3) labor costs (very cheap to have literal around-the-clock construction work in China) 4) existing infrastructure that is for the most part "good enough" for current use cases #4 kinda kills us for things like e.g. public transit, when most people have cars.

enraged_camel 10y ago
One problem with eminent domain in the US, as I understand it, is that the price the government is required to pay the owner is not just based on current value of the land, but also potential future value. I hear that it's common for people who own low-value properties located next to highways and such to have plans drawn for "future improvements", which can be high-value things like hotels, for instance. Then, when the government wants to take ownership of the land, they can say, "look, I am planning to build a hotel here, this land's potential future value is 10 times what it is now!" Which makes things kind of hard for the government.
- wahern 10y ago
  I know a low-income housing developer and, at least in California, eminent domain isn't a problem at all. I don't think in any state will a court accept such speculative claims of value, but that's certainly not the case in California. According to the developer I know, municipalities inevitably end up paying less than her original offer to the property owner. And the court case proceeds rather swiftly. AFAIU, the biggest headaches are environmental impact reports, _especially_ in California. It's not the burden of creating the report. There are reputable companies that specialize in these studies and are exceedingly efficient at it. For moderate to big projects the cost of the report is minimal; for tiny projects less so, but at least it's something you can easily budget ahead of time. For urban projects there are rarely any real surprises. The real problem is that the laws requiring environmental impact reports provide a cause of action to local NIMBY groups, who then hire a law firm to drag their challenge out forever. Because these reports are so detailed, there's ample opportunity to nit-pick. This is especially bad in California because California's environmental impact law forbids courts from imposing costs on plaintiffs. Even the most flagrant abuses of the system go unpunished. Time is money, especially when it comes to lining up financing. Even moderate delays can ruin budgets.

by dmoy 10y ago

enraged_camel 10y ago

One problem with eminent domain in the US, as I understand it, is that the price the government is required to pay the owner is not just based on current value of the land, but also potential future value. I hear that it's common for people who own low-value properties located next to highways and such to have plans drawn for "future improvements", which can be high-value things like hotels, for instance. Then, when the government wants to take ownership of the land, they can say, "look, I am planning to build a hotel here, this land's potential future value is 10 times what it is now!" Which makes things kind of hard for the government.

wahern 10y ago
I know a low-income housing developer and, at least in California, eminent domain isn't a problem at all. I don't think in any state will a court accept such speculative claims of value, but that's certainly not the case in California. According to the developer I know, municipalities inevitably end up paying less than her original offer to the property owner. And the court case proceeds rather swiftly. AFAIU, the biggest headaches are environmental impact reports, _especially_ in California. It's not the burden of creating the report. There are reputable companies that specialize in these studies and are exceedingly efficient at it. For moderate to big projects the cost of the report is minimal; for tiny projects less so, but at least it's something you can easily budget ahead of time. For urban projects there are rarely any real surprises. The real problem is that the laws requiring environmental impact reports provide a cause of action to local NIMBY groups, who then hire a law firm to drag their challenge out forever. Because these reports are so detailed, there's ample opportunity to nit-pick. This is especially bad in California because California's environmental impact law forbids courts from imposing costs on plaintiffs. Even the most flagrant abuses of the system go unpunished. Time is money, especially when it comes to lining up financing. Even moderate delays can ruin budgets.