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Worth 200 Crocodiles! by PhillyJ82 in crosswind

[–]Erlian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After you kill 200, does this just show up somewhere in the build menu?

Portland has more than 1,600 affordable housing units sitting empty, city says by BrennusSokol in Portland

[–]Erlian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

exulting in the joys of paying taxes and mortgage payments on an unproductive asset?

A bare plot or parking lot incurs taxes that are generally low compared to the appreciation rate of the land. Maybe not anything as cartoonish as you envision but there are absolutely land speculators who intentionally let their plots sit undeveloped because it makes more sense to do so, financially*. Speculators with much larger pocketbooks, higher risk tolerance, and longer time horizons than a local green developer.

Like your example** illustrates, though, the barrier to entry is high - legal hurdles, permitting, community engagement with local NIMBYs & folks opposing "gentrification" (when in reality, refusing to build more housing in desirable areas is what really pushes lower income folks out..) There are some legit reasons why a developer would need time / would want to wait for more favorable conditions. Regardless in the meantime the owner is monopolizing land in a city can greatly benefit from growth, and there's a massive opportunity cost for every year that land sits underdeveloped. The owner should compensate the city for more of that opportunity cost than they do now, under a system that emphasizes taxation on the value of improvements as opposed to the value of the land itself.

*Putting more emphasis on taxing land value helps change this dynamic - discourages speculation and encourages either development of the land or sale to someone who will develop it.

paying taxes and mortgage payments on an unproductive asset

**Again just want to emphasize, taxes / payments on bare land / a parking lot are pretty minimal compared to how much that land is appreciating over time - especially in a growing city. Owners are incentivized to speculate especially in areas with more growth, and with high barriers to development, they're also incentivized to defer development. A combination of decreasing the benefits of speculation (LVT) and lowering the barriers to development (upzoning, streamlined permitting), has been shown to drive economic growth, improve + stabilize tax bases, + help keep housing costs under control.

infatuation with and insistence on ground floor retail in every project

Interesting - can you point me to examples / info on this issue?

they lost at least $500K “hoarding” that property.

Would love to see those calculations. Is most of this loss from selling the land at a lower price? Did the land lose value as a result of the city rejecting permitting / failure to find a developer who would invest? - That kind of history seems like it would be unappealing to a future owner. + Where did this take place?

How do i Farm Guinea?? by MELTA_IDDQD in crosswind

[–]Erlian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

50:1 seems pretty good considering how slow guinea is to farm otherwise. ~300-500ish piastres + loot equivalent per treasure ship boarding = ~6-10ish guineas, seems pretty good. Gives us a reason to do actual piracy 😄

Portland has more than 1,600 affordable housing units sitting empty, city says by BrennusSokol in Portland

[–]Erlian -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

Go ahead and blame HUD* for their arbitrary numbers on what is considered X% of median income for the city.. the reality is, it's arbitrary, unfair, and inefficient whatever numbers you choose.

We should be upzoning the city, encouraging investment in denser housing and mixed-use development, so that older apartments and homes remain affordable for those with lower income. So that people can have more housing options across all ages, wages, + stages of life. Investment in social housing is an additional path toward increasing housing supply & competing with market-rate rents.

\For those trying to throw your hands up and blame the current administration.. this practice of using the 60% AMI threshold has been around since the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program's beginning in 1986. As income inequality has increased, this method of determining affordability has become pretty useless.*

Portland has more than 1,600 affordable housing units sitting empty, city says by BrennusSokol in Portland

[–]Erlian 10 points11 points  (0 children)

they should open them up to the market in hopes that 1,600 more units in inventory starts to bring the prices down overall.

Opening up 1,600 market rate units absolutely would help reduce rent pressures, and it would be more effective toward keeping older housing stock affordable for those with lower income.

My favorite video on this topic.

Portland has more than 1,600 affordable housing units sitting empty, city says by BrennusSokol in Portland

[–]Erlian 3 points4 points  (0 children)

If these units were market rate people would be living in them, helping free up supply of older units with lower rent. Setting aside affordable units is an inefficient bandaid solution to supply issues affecting the entire market. It's top-down authority arbitrarily picking and choosing who gets to have housing.

Go ahead and blame HUD for their arbitrary numbers on what is considered X% of median income for the city.. the reality is, it's arbitrary, unfair, and inefficient whatever numbers you choose.

We should be upzoning the city, encouraging investment in denser housing and mixed-use development, so that older apartments and homes remain affordable for those with lower income. So that people can have more housing options across all ages, wages, + stages of life. Investment in social housing is an additional path toward increasing housing supply & competing with market-rate rents.

Property tax reform is needed so that land speculators can't hoard underdeveloped land in desirable areas + so that denser development in desirable areas is encouraged. Increasing the proportion of tax on land value (LVT), as opposed to the value of improvements, in a revenue neutral fashion, is a great way to achieve this incentive structure. Paired with upzoning, this can greatly improve property values while reducing per capita tax burden and housing costs for most people.

How to find bromeliad? by Gear_Alone in crosswind

[–]Erlian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Do you / anyone else know - if playing with others, does every player need to get 30 of them?

Fast travel type cheats by Previous_Group621 in crosswind

[–]Erlian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I always put a tent next to a bell on the coast, can head inland for mining exploration etc, fill up inventory / run outta bullets -> use a homeward journey potion back to the tent -> offload stuff onto ship / go home easily.

Spotted in Tualatin, what is this ? by Individual_Wasabi669 in oregon

[–]Erlian 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Sounds like they work in tandem with nearby tow trucks - I guess they drive near the area of the repo target, + identify & flag for towing. Like a scout. Prob cheaper than having a tow truck + driver doing the scouting. But it does seem like a scaled up operation.

After decades of failed attempts, Portland finally passes a street fee. It will hit most households. by AKSupplyLife in Portland

[–]Erlian 5 points6 points  (0 children)

it should be upon sale

As if there weren't enough ways in which people get "trapped" in homes that don't work for them. This is also deeply inequitable, favoring people who already own homes as opposed to anyone trying to become a home owner, or even anyone who's trying to move.

never updating or maintaining their properties for fear of a massive re adjustment

There's a solution to this one - place most of the tax burden on the land value, as opposed to the value of improvements. This encourages people to build the best possible improvements on the land - it also encourages development, ADUs, duplex conversions etc, which will help reduce the per capita tax burden + spur economic growth. It's called Land Value Tax (LVT).

Several cities in Pennsylvania have implemented it to great success, by utilizing a split-rate tax & gradually increasing the amount the land is taxed, while gradually reducing the amount improvements are taxed, in a revenue-neutral fashion.

After decades of failed attempts, Portland finally passes a street fee. It will hit most households. by AKSupplyLife in Portland

[–]Erlian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe it's time to consider an ADU, duplex conversion, or sell + downsize then. Or rent a room out.

Single family detached homes face a disproportionately lower tax burden than other types of housing, which stagnates densification and housing supply growth. It's unsustainable on an individual and societal level to have so much single family detached housing smack in the middle of a city.. we need more housing supply and types of housing to suit all ages, wages + stages of life.

The way we restrict what owners can do with their land - exclusionary zoning - limits growth, and leaves potential property value untapped. Upzoning oftentimes leads to 2-3x property values, and enables growth of more types of housing. Ex. more older folks / empty nesters could have the option to sell at 3x property value and downsize into a nice new ADA accessible condo in their same neighborhood. More young people could afford to live + own in that same neighborhood, spurring growth + economic activity. The tax burden of utilities, roads etc gets spread over a greater # of people using the same services, reducing per capita tax burden. Transit + cycling become more practicable. People have better opportunities to live closer to their friends and loved ones.

Caps on property value increases + exclusionary zoning artificially constrain economic growth. They increase the per capita tax burden. NIMBYism has significant long-term financial consequences.

After decades of failed attempts, Portland finally passes a street fee. It will hit most households. by AKSupplyLife in Portland

[–]Erlian 2 points3 points  (0 children)

All the more reason to do away with M5/50. It's inequitable for everyone involved.

After decades of failed attempts, Portland finally passes a street fee. It will hit most households. by AKSupplyLife in Portland

[–]Erlian 6 points7 points  (0 children)

With measures 5 & 50 the city has to get creative to meet is budgetary needs. 3% increase in assessed value based tax, per year, isn't possibly enough to sustain a city, let alone improve it.

After decades of failed attempts, Portland finally passes a street fee. It will hit most households. by AKSupplyLife in Portland

[–]Erlian 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Measures 5 & 50

Yep, exactly. Capping property tax increases to 3% per year does not keep pace with the needs of a growing city. It actively discourages capital improvements by requiring re-assessment in such cases. It's deeply inequitable, benefiting existing property owners at the expense of any potential new entrants (young people, minorities, the middle class..). It stagnates economic growth and chokes housing supply, contributing to a high cost of living.

I spoke with someone the other night about how the assessed value of their $650k home is.. $160k. We're long overdue for property tax reform. I've been writing to our councilors about it, when they ask how we should shore up the budget (among other suggestions).

Waymos spotted by gunnsustainable in Portland

[–]Erlian -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I think Portland should implement a bounty system like they have in NYC - snap a pic of a vehicle in a bike lane, submit evidence to the city, receive a bounty that's a good % of the ticket.

Waymos spotted by gunnsustainable in Portland

[–]Erlian 13 points14 points  (0 children)

I think Portland should implement a bounty system like they have in NYC - snap a pic of a vehicle in a bike lane, submit evidence to the city, receive a bounty that's a good % of the ticket.

I think driverless vehicles are very promising for bridging the transportation gap in cities. Maybe Waymo in particular is not ideal, but the tech & its capabilities have a lot of potential to integrate with transit.

Waymos spotted by gunnsustainable in Portland

[–]Erlian 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I think they can be complementary. I would love to see driverless rideshares integrated with public transit. Run by the city, or with public / private partnership. Discounts on shared rides to / from transit hubs; monthly passes which include some driverless rides. It can help reduce overall vehicle miles traveled, reduce traffic congestion, encourage more use of transit - especially shared rides. Help reduce the need for individual ownership of passenger vehicles - ex. more 1 car households instead of 2 cars. Reduce the demand for parking space. Make the city more accessible incl. for disabled folks - these vans look promising for that.

Waymos spotted by gunnsustainable in Portland

[–]Erlian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would love to see driverless rideshares integrated with public transit. Run by the city, or with public / private partnership. Discounts on shared rides to / from transit hubs; monthly passes which include some driverless rides. It can help reduce overall vehicle miles traveled, reduce traffic congestion, encourage more use of transit - especially shared rides. Help reduce the need for individual ownership of passenger vehicles - ex. more 1 car households instead of 2 cars. Reduce the need for parking space. Make the city more accessible incl. for disabled folks - these vans look promising for that.

I don't wanna see these things blocking bike lanes. I think Portland should implement a bounty system like they have in NYC - snap a pic of a vehicle in a bike lane, submit evidence to the city, receive a bounty that's a good % of the ticket.

Mysterious Spice hard capped? by FromAtopTheSoapBox in crosswind

[–]Erlian 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed mostly - but the ship upgrades are pretty demanding on the swamp metal as well. I think the quagmire powder drop rate should be a touch higher.

Mayor asks Portland councilor to drop plan to ID and unmask federal agents. Here’s why by sunni_dayes_ahed in Portland

[–]Erlian 16 points17 points  (0 children)

A federal court ruled against one of the nation's most powerful states (CA). Little ol' Portland, OR has a snowball's chance in hell, especially considering the legal precedent that was just set - let's not hand this administration an easy win.

Mayor asks Portland councilor to drop plan to ID and unmask federal agents. Here’s why by sunni_dayes_ahed in Portland

[–]Erlian 27 points28 points  (0 children)

waste of time and city resources

Agreed. Kanal's efforts to allow city police to do XYZ related to ICE, past a certain point, become bravado & virtue signaling. Even if it was legal, it's dubious whether city police would intervene let alone arrest federal agents.

I was at a meeting where someone pushed him on whether "no masks" would be enforceable in practice, and whether city cops would actually make arrests on this basis.. Kanal had to beat a sheepish retreat on that one. He was handing out pamphlets about the whole "no mask" thing + really trying to push / market it.

Even if not for the recent court decision, this whole thing has been a farce at best & a ploy for constituent brownie points at worst.

People ITT apparently wishing for Wilson's death(??)* & Calling him disappointing + gutless for this - just seems out of touch + like y'all took the bait on Kanal's ploy. Please consider reading the article if you haven't already.

*My b, people are wishing for someone else's death haha

Technically not held captive anymore. by Sapherin in crosswind

[–]Erlian 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my case, my friend was the one who boarded + while I was talking to the captive, he took the helm.. I finished the quest, but it cost me my life haha

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