Re “Developer behind giant ADU projects sued twice” (March 31): I appreciated this article, but this debate is usually framed as YIMBY versus NIMBY, focusing on neighborhood character, noise and parking.
The real issue is land values and who benefits when those values rise.
When more units are allowed on land that was previously limited to single-family homes, that land becomes more valuable. While some new units may be built, the increase in land value leads to higher home prices and rents across the entire city.
These land-use policies are presented with the veneer of equity, but higher land values primarily benefit those who already own property.
This is not just a neighborhood character debate. It is a land economics issue that puts upward pressure on rents and makes homeownership harder for the very people these policies claim to help.
— Lisa Sinclair, Kensington