Innovate: Build truly affordable housing

It’s impossible to drive around Santa Fe without noticing the massive infestation of new, ugly, sprawling apartment complexes. These monstrosities are allowed under the guise of providing “affordable housing.”

The irony, of course, is that virtually none of these new apartments will be at less than “market value” rates; certainly not enough to make a real impact. The city allows developers to pay a fine to skirt zoning regulations.

Wait, what? So, for a few bucks more (which costs, of course, are passed on to renters), they’re allowed to destroy the nature of our city?

I suggest a new approach: the city begins construction of its own housing projects. Yes, government controlled housing; price controlled housing.

We’ve lived in cities where such entities exist and do extremely well. They provide decent, truly affordable housing for many thousands of people.

One such development in Tacoma, Wash., transformed a dilapidated area into a beautiful neighborhood of modest-sized, Arts and Craftsstyle bungalows.

It is fabulous. Allowing developers, often from out of state, to plunder the land for a fast profit and leave us to clean up after them is unconscionable.

We are becoming “anywhere USA” without achieving the necessary goal of providing for the nona±uent. And this does not even consider the obscenely inflated demand for water and essential services such as police, fire and medical.

Enough of politicians kowtowing to the moneyed interests to the detriment of the general public.

MacKenzie Allen Santa Fe