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America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

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Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#111

Post by greenie_beans »

triceratops wrote: post #25
greenie_beans wrote: post #8

reducing everything to zoning laws is lazy analysis. nobody will ever sell $4 lunch bowls in SF because the rent is too high. so these market incentives will influence/force the proprietor to sell them for more!

The rent is too high because of zoning laws.

the rent is too high because of the market incentives. zoning laws are one of several dynamics that influence the market.

we've built a ton of structures with existing zoning laws when the economy is good, more than we've built during this deregulation paradigm. we stop when the economy or market is bad. very simple concept.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#112

Post by triceratops »

queuebert wrote: post #44
triceratops wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rent is too high because of zoning laws.

All things being equal, SF has some of the most desirable weather on the planet, so it will always have an high cost of living due to excess demand.

There are plenty of other places with equally great weather and no needles on the streets.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#113

Post by milkytron »

favflam wrote: post #103
milkytron wrote: post #15

I serve as a planning commissioner for my city, and my city just recently tried to overhaul our zoning code to allow for more affordability and better economic outcomes for our citizens and future as a city. Here is what I have learned: In the US, few people participate or care about local laws, zoning, and elections, or even understand why participation may be important. In a citizen ballot to determine if we should…

Some politician in Japan pushed zoning away from cities up to the prefecture and national level. So locals do not get veto rights over new construction.

My state did something similar recently as well for land within a quarter mile of transit, they have to be zoned for a minimum number of housing units, and parking minimums cannot be enforced in that radius. Some of the municipalities impacted are suing the state.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#114

Post by systemtest »

bee_rider wrote: post #109
systemtest wrote: post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A sandwich, snack or Döner Kebab is not a full nutritional lunch.

Are the $4 lunch bowls full nutritional lunches?

The $4 lunch bowls in Japan are indeed full nutritional lunches.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#115

Post by vel0city »

Workaccount2 wrote: post #85
AmVess wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not how commercial real estate works.

It sort of is. When a property owner has loan against a commercial property, the lender uses the monthly rent to calculate how much they will loan you. The rent number they use is the last paid rent. So you, the property owner, end up in a situation where if you lower rent to attract a new tenant, the bank will recalculate your loan, potentially ending in a margin call. Because you are a heavily leveraged house of ca…

Given what seems like a high rate of vacancies in a lot of markets maybe its time for those landlords to be wiped out, the loans defaulted, and the buildings sell to get back to their real valuations.

But no, we can't have wealthy people lose some money or the banks take a loss, that'd be terrible. We'll just continue crushing the middle class and poor with high rent costs and empty properties.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#116

Post by zdragnar »

systemtest wrote: post #77
KptMarchewa wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok. That's by design.

It's by design that only people with stable housing can vote? I bet you loved pre-1965 America.

Yes, voting requires some form of residency. That's a pretty basic tenant of any stable representative government.

Anything less becomes extremely easy to game.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#117

Post by jawns »

If you want a fast, healthy, balanced meal for $4 or less, the obvious choice in America is a frozen meal (aka TV dinner).

You can microwave it in 4-6 minutes; ingredients are often flash-frozen, locking in nutrients; and food-safety concerns are addressed at scale, rather than in a hit-or-miss way in a tiny storefront.

So perhaps, instead of advocating for more tiny restaurants that would likely need to skimp on safety considerations, we should be advocating for more microwaves available in grocery and convenience stores, so people can select a frozen meal, heat it up, and be on their way.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#118

Post by moi2388 »

systemtest wrote: post #77
KptMarchewa wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok. That's by design.

It's by design that only people with stable housing can vote? I bet you loved pre-1965 America.

No, but it should be.

I saw your other comment with regards to the Netherlands. If that’s where you’re located, you only need to have a stable location once. Then you can register. Another person can’t unregister you from there, so you can vote even if you then move to a hotel.

Only question remains is how you want to deal with mail, but there are workarounds for that.

Re: America could have $4 lunch bowls like Japan but for zoning laws

#119

Post by triceratops »

greenie_beans wrote: post #111
triceratops wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The rent is too high because of zoning laws.

the rent is too high because of the market incentives. zoning laws are one of several dynamics that influence the market. we've built a ton of structures with existing zoning laws when the economy is good, more than we've built during this deregulation paradigm. we stop when the economy or market is bad. very simple concept.

One less dynamic would be helpful then.

There's also the other turd in California real estate policy: Prop 13.

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