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You're missing the point, people from middle class housing wont be able to move into luxury housing, most people don't have the means to do so. I don't see how

You're missing the point, people from middle class housing wont be able to move into luxury housing, most people don't have the means to do so. I don't see how you can believe that building luxury housing will help middle class people. Building middle class housing will help middle class people. If you don't believe that there's too few options for middle class people in Boulder and that it hasn't become too scarce I would encourage you to do some basic research using a simple tool like Zillow to look at prices. Building expensive homes raises the prices of everything around them so now most homes in a place like Boulder are out of reach.

AnthonyMouse 8y ago
There are people who currently live in "middle class housing" even though they have more than middle class money because all housing is scarce. If you build more luxury housing then those people move out of the middle class housing into the new housing and then middle class people can move into the middle class housing. Moreover, there is no structural difference between "luxury housing" and "middle class housing". A building is a building. You take 10 units of "luxury housing" and add some walls and appliances and now it's 20 units of "middle class housing". The problem isn't what they're building, it's the zoning that prevents it from being subdivided that way.
- Cyclone_ 8y ago
  That doesn't make any sense at all. No middle class person will be able to move into Boulder where the average home price is over $1 million. If someone moves out of there a middle class person wont be able to move in at that price point.
  - AnthonyMouse 8y ago
    It costs over $1 million because the existing owners aren't selling, because they don't have better properties to buy instead. Provide those and the existing properties go on the market, and once there are more of them on the market they can no longer command a million dollars.
Lazare 8y ago
> You're missing the point, people from middle class housing wont be able to move into luxury housing, most people don't have the means to do so. By the time they move into it, it won't be "luxury housing". Changes in supply change prices. :) And again, this is literally how the housing market has historically worked; it's not wild speculation to suggest it can continue to work. > Building expensive homes raises the prices of everything around them so now most homes in a place like Boulder are out of reach. Prices in a market are not set by production costs.
- Cyclone_ 8y ago
  What do mean continue to work? It's clearly not working in Boulder where they are building luxury homes. Those types of places are trying what you claim will work and it's not working.
  - WillPostForFood 8y ago
    It doesn't work because of the lack of building. You have to unleash it for it to work. Boulder is only allowing a few hundred units a year. You have to allow enough construction for supply to start to exceed the demand.

AnthonyMouse 8y ago

There are people who currently live in "middle class housing" even though they have more than middle class money because all housing is scarce. If you build more luxury housing then those people move out of the middle class housing into the new housing and then middle class people can move into the middle class housing. Moreover, there is no structural difference between "luxury housing" and "middle class housing". A building is a building. You take 10 units of "luxury housing" and add some walls and appliances and now it's 20 units of "middle class housing". The problem isn't what they're building, it's the zoning that prevents it from being subdivided that way.

Cyclone_ 8y ago
That doesn't make any sense at all. No middle class person will be able to move into Boulder where the average home price is over $1 million. If someone moves out of there a middle class person wont be able to move in at that price point.
- AnthonyMouse 8y ago
  It costs over $1 million because the existing owners aren't selling, because they don't have better properties to buy instead. Provide those and the existing properties go on the market, and once there are more of them on the market they can no longer command a million dollars.

Lazare 8y ago

> You're missing the point, people from middle class housing wont be able to move into luxury housing, most people don't have the means to do so. By the time they move into it, it won't be "luxury housing". Changes in supply change prices. :) And again, this is literally how the housing market has historically worked; it's not wild speculation to suggest it can continue to work. > Building expensive homes raises the prices of everything around them so now most homes in a place like Boulder are out of reach. Prices in a market are not set by production costs.

Cyclone_ 8y ago
What do mean continue to work? It's clearly not working in Boulder where they are building luxury homes. Those types of places are trying what you claim will work and it's not working.
- WillPostForFood 8y ago
  It doesn't work because of the lack of building. You have to unleash it for it to work. Boulder is only allowing a few hundred units a year. You have to allow enough construction for supply to start to exceed the demand.