[Via Chicago]

the US dosent have a labor shortage. it has a wage shortage. want people to take your shitty job? pay them more.

the city IS trying to build on those vacant lots, at least to a small extent. and even that is mired in delays and cost over runs

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/7/...ays-city-rules

Townsell doesn’t mince words. While he said he’d like to have 200 homes started by now, only 18 are in various stages of construction, with two sold and contracts on four others. They are mostly around 16th Street and Avers Avenue and 18th Street and Sawyer Avenue.

He said the hold up is from all types of municipal red tape over the properties, even though the transfer of city-owned land should be easier than private-market dealings for parcels with liens and back taxes.

“This is really about a city that has no urgency when it comes to working families,” Townsell said.



Two years ago, Townsell was aiming to sell the homes for around $220,000. He had to raise that to $250,000. He said his costs are about $310,000 per lot, despite getting $1-per-parcel land from the city. Townsell’s group has backing from the state and has $17.5 million in construction loans from banks and foundations. He’d like to get it to $25 million.

While he won’t blame individuals, he clearly has problems with people in top-level city jobs. “The city is spending too much time on fluffy things — issues of design and policy,” he said. “It is not built around production. It is built around policy wonk ideas, and as a result nothing gets done.”