DENVER | Main Development Thread #6

[TakeFive]

Denverite... Coming down on both sides of the issue, I'll give it a stab. I'm all in favor of solid quality developments which doesn't have to mean expensive. It should mean not shoddy cheap.

bunt_q can speak to the development side better than I but when the biggest winners are the lawyers and the biggest losers are the builders then: Nobody gonna build. That's the current bottom line. Exception possible for high end stuff.

In theory at least enforcing building codes would be the best route to happiness but that model just has never been sufficient or worked very well. It would still be the best answer. An ounce of oversight and prevention... as they say.

In theory at least, Unions could be a key contributor by providing competent experienced workers. But that model has never worked (very well) either. It's always been an adversarial relationship rather than a "having the same goal" relationship. It ends up as more of a political squabble than meaningful quality and efficiency efforts.

Quality construction is a legitimate concern and worthwhile debate to have since today's shoddy construction will be tomorrow's ghetto housing. But any solution MUST be practical.

Downtown Denver is probably insulated for the most part as the regs and oversight are pretty good. What you want is institutional quality construction creating institutional quality investments. Again, this can still reflect different price points. From all appearances Denver is getting this.

The problems can arise when you go off-Broadway so to speak. In this day and age of speed and efficiency there will always be those whose objective is a quick profit with little regard to quality.

I'll put a wrap on this by saying unfettered free markets will end up in "Cowboy Capitalism" and create Great Recessions. Trying to create a liberal utopian system is just as stupid. A little common sense can go a long way and it makes no sense to so encumber builders that they just go elsewhere.