Editor’s note: This commentary is by Neil Johnson of Waitsfield, who is state chair of the Green Mountain Party and the owner of the Johnson Real Estate Group. He was an independent candidate for the Washington-7 district in the Vermont House of Representatives in 2018.
[T]rump builds affordable housing in Vermont?
The waste and self-dealing of taxpayer money in Vermont is of epic proportions. Take “affordable housing,” for example.
It would appear that President Donald Trump is building affordable housing in Vermont based on the costs per square foot. Let’s look at the “Trumpian” numbers our state is posting.
Would $200,000 for one room with a kitchenette and bath seem high? It’s higher than the average house price for many homes across our state.
Would $335,000 for one bedroom apartment seem high?
Would 1,800 square feet of living space seem reasonable for $990,000?
Does $560 per square foot seem a reasonable price to pay when most homes cost $135 per square foot? The most luxurious condominium was built and sold for $444 per square foot with slopeside access.
Would you pay $638,400 for a single wide trailer? That’s the price per square foot we’re talking about for affordable housing.
Several of these prices exist right across from Montpelier City Hall.
These are the inside deals that have been going on for decades. The rental trap is keeping people poor. It’s good business. Just keep the generational poverty trap and benefits cliff in place, and our business will continue expanding.
Adding insult to injury, affordable housing is usually rental properties. These are nonprofit entities that are forgiven loans and given zero interest loans, huge tax credits, huge subsidies and special permit considerations. It is the perfect way to keep people in generational poverty. Those running the scam are getting rich.
Everybody gets rich, except the tenant who’s trapped in generational poverty and the taxpayer whose pockets are fleeced. Many of us want transparent, open, frugal dealings with our taxpayer money.
Montpelier’s answer for affordable housing? Promoting more of this!
We can easily produce – without subsidies or taxpayer money – home ownership for $600 per month. There are so many possible solutions. There are so many possible solutions for extremely low-income people, too, but we no longer promote common sense solutions. Some examples to follow:
• Truly affordable for those seriously struggling: boarding homes. We had them in the past; they worked great. You can have double or triple occupancy. We’ve zoned them out of existence.
• Small condominium buildings – four units per building and two buildings per acre. A minor tweak in zoning and engineering can quickly provide a great home for under $600 per month.
• Small clusters of manufactured homes – six per acre. This gets the price below $100,000 and less than $600 per month for a three-bedroom
.
• Innovative construction: straw bale. You can’t get more efficient or green.
• Homesteading, like our forefathers. It’s simple, easy and green.
There are so many creative ideas; this is just the beginning. It requires no taxpayer money. We stop generational poverty and get people out of the rental trap.
Perhaps we should have our own “Vexit” — Vexit the fiscal insanity.
