Hit by a car while on a bike. I wrote that wrong
Technical Founder (design+building science) @ nookhaus (ADUs) & woodhaus (CLT net-negative passivhaus plexes) http://www.woodhaus-co.com YIMBY Denver Education Lead, WWPNA Board Member Urbanist/Georgist/soc-dem/Property Manager(10+ years)/Foodie
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Hit by a car while on a bike. I wrote that wrong
100% agree. I lived in a 13-story building with nearly 400 units. The stairs were almost 100m apart
Gonna keep beating this dead horse but as a Yimby it pisses me off to see this group try to co-opt a progressive movement that I believe deeply in. This lady's family shot at me and Bureau of Land Management staff and now shes an invited speaker. I want cities and trains and these people do not
I think our blue state leaders need to begin preparing for this, in part by making it much easier to build less expensive homes in our blue state cities because we cannot provide refuge to people fleeing red state oppression at scale while appeasing every objection to new housing.
Fair. That said, no developer is going to build underparked housing outside transit areas, unless we're talking about infill small-plexes in neighborhoods with ample street parking. It's good that WA/MT passed the laws, but the benefit of no parking minimums dissipates away from cities, IMHO.
Colorado is doing ok on parking reform too
In other words, their socialism is better than ours, but *their capitalism is also better than ours*. What we have is a shit mixed system that does both parts badly & serves no one but the wealthy.
One of my favorite bars
My friend JUST got hit by a bike in front of STK. Luckily, they're okay since it was a low-speed collision (the driver was turning into the parking garage), but removing the posts was a terrible move. @denverbicyclelobby.bsky.social @westword.com @denverite.bsky.social @yimbydenver.bsky.social
It would be great if more mens brands used non-model sized models too, showing sizes OTHER than medium
It's similar in Denver. In my last building, 80AMI units were originally ~10% less than MR units. Within two years, the MR units were under the 80AMI prices, but the affordable ones still required extra paperwork. 30-50AMI rentals make sense, along with 60-80AMI for sale. MR should handle the rest.
Denver food is fantastic now, but we have a number of people who've lived here for 40+ years who reminisce about mediocre restaurants that have closed, while turning their noses up at a generation of new chefs making actual good food.
New post about how bulk transit passes are incredibly affordable and pair nicely with new parking reform and TOD laws. New tools in SB25-161 expand this program - let's use them! Written with James Flattum from @greatdentransit.bsky.social
I genuinely think one thing that trips up folks on the left is that they can't imagine not sharing certain core values. Lemme explain. Here's an intuition pump: Say you're in negotiations with counterparty X. And there are two possible deals on the table ...
This is from a shooting in December of last year
Thinking of smuggling a shipping container of Chinese solar panels, inverters, and R290 heat pumps into America like a 1920s bootlegger
European/Asian apartment buildings that are small, instead of cruise-ship sized 5-over-1s
Great post on how to get better urbanism buildingoptimism.substack.com/p/the-one-th...
City of Denver analysis reveals major potential for single-stair housing — identifying 39,000 parcels where single-stair apartments could be built. This includes hundreds of vacant lots across the city and lots where affordable housing incentives allow for the construction of taller housing.
IMHO, the lower temp production and increased strength seem more valuable than the reflective properties
How'd it go? Sorry I couldn't be there this morning, but I'll be at the Thursday one
Democrats hide behind procedure to stop whatever policy agenda they even pretend to have. Enough is enough! Do something!
This is why we need a subway system
Colorado is very nice. Georgia and Texas on the other hand are hot garbage
Rents and asking prices of older homes have become high due to a shortage of housing. Whether that's because of hoarding or lack of production or magic, the only solution is to fix the supply. Vacancy taxes are fine, sure, but construction is also a solution. All of the above is always best.
How many of the ADUs are standalones that cost $300k+, and how many are garage conversions that cost <$100k?
How does Amercan fire code (rated assemblies, street width rules, single-stair, sprinklers, etc) prevent us from ever reproducing the beauty of old cities in Europe or old neighborhoods (Elfreth's Alley in Philly) in the US?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of structural masonry, and why don't we see it anymore? Large windows, HVAC, electricity, and plumbing all became common within the last 100 years. How did they change design for the better?
NEPA is fine in contexts other than infill housing, wind+solar, and public transit.
What is the reason we see so many different materials on the exteriors of individual buildings? Why do buildings articulate so many times (Europe doesn't do this)?
Light wood frame construction should not be legal for any vaguely urbanized area, and sprinklers should not be required in most new buildings
So this exists just to keep the curbs clean?
not sure how you can talk about 'courtyard urbanism' without talking about point access blocks - the very thing that *enables* courtyard living commonedge.org/courtyard-ur...
With gas, this works well. Electric inline heaters require pretty big breakers, which can require upgrading your electrical panel, and then suddenly a $300 device costs $6000 to install
ADUs sadly don't pencil anymore in Denver
Guadalajara
Like @dansavage.bsky.social often says, if clowns raped kids as often as Christians do, circuses would be illegal.
You sweat, but from the physical exertion, not the heat of the outdoors or the flames
Tanked air also comes out COLD because of the decompression, so you're basically wearing an AC mask/helmet while using your SCBA.
Having been a firefighter, I've found that heavy gear is actually easier to work in in the heat than lightweight clothes. Heavy Nomex protects you from the heat, just like insulation protects your air-conditioned house from the heat in the summer.
Home batteries just recently dropped under $200/kwh www.amazon.com/ECO-WORTHY-L...
What's the optimal height to FAR ratio in your mind? 2:1? 3:1?
Hot take, people who hate cities shouldn’t be in charge of cities
Instead of wasting $30M on a canceled pedestrian bridge, imagine giving 12 Colorado cities their own giant blue animal. Denver has the bear. Fort Collins gets a buffalo. Boulder a ram. Springs a lynx. Smaller towns get prairie dogs, minks, whatever. Weird, fun, and tourism gold. #colorado #denver
Tell me about the short term plans for radioactive coal ash, which is WAY more dangerous than nuclear waste
"Can we get a Google Meet AI to prioritize all camera feeds with pets on them?" Someone at work has finally proposed an unequivocally good use case for AI.
Ours is currently 1522 pages
Your point at the end about getting into building codes to allow for more inovation was fantastic. My question is this: how does someone go about doing that, beyond advocating for things at the city and state level? Specifically, how do I become a part of the ICC's process as a small developer?
I was there! There were 30 speakers for abolishing them, and ZERO who were against it
Don't threaten me with a good time
I wish this man so much success
We did it y'all! Parking minimums are abolished citywide for all uses in Denver!
If you could do a thread on all the things that make mid-rise more expensive, that would be awesome as a reference.
Best take on left-Abundance I've seen. Long read, but worth it. jacobin.com/2025/08/klei...
The Problem With Left-Wing NIMBYism
Nobody wants to live in rural Ohio
It seems like it's often a vestibule that's ~20sqft www.archdaily.com/search/image...
Do you have an example floorplan?
What about garden-level units?
America’s aversion to buildings taller than ~three stories and love of side setbacks significantly degrades our urban neighborhoods by forcing small apartment buildings to cover most of their lots, leaving little room left for green space.
If you could threadread it for those of us who deleted X, that would be awesome
This seems way more important than the weird gene/jean discourse.
I'll skip my turn then
www.webstaurantstore.com/galaxy-giwc1...
This actually does help, at $.23/pill. www.amazon.com/dp/B0D92TB6KH
I was about to ask, if you already have a pencil and you use it, that pretty much answers the question (get the basic one, upgrade in 2030)
The Air also features better color reproduction and an anti-reflective coating on the screen, which may help sell it. The biggest thing to note is that a Pro is good for 7-9 years, an Air for 6-8 years (it's a Pro minus 1 year of tech), and a base is good for 4-6 years.
We need a new left-liberal party that doesn't allow any candidates over 65 bsky.app/profile/sahi...
It depends on what you use it for. The base A16 iPad is basically a big iPhone. The M3 iPad Air is an actual computer. If you only browse the web/watch videos, the first is fine. If you intend to open CAD files, buy the Air. Relevant Experience: I worked at the Apple Store during college.
I witnessed it
The best major metro areas for outdoor life are SLC, Denver, and Seattle, not the Bay Area.
I am much more in favor of just impeaching Alito and Thomas
This, but with a trunk instead of an engine in the back. The same platform could also have a taller van-ish or pickup body.
top speed of 28mph is too low for a lot of arterials, let alone highways A kei-EV sportscar with an 87mph top speed would be perfect IMHO
The capitol doesn't have any big windows, sadly
Or, $5/person to every county for blue animal sculptures. Hinsdale would still receive $3,735 for something small in Lake City, and Denver and El Paso could spend $3-4 million to place a ~$50k sculpture in every neighborhood.
I make <$100k and have $95/month Concierge NP care for prescriptions by email, cheap blood tests, access to MRIs super fast, etc. I also have insurance for major medical expenses (such as an MRI). I imagine that rich people do this, but with $9,500/month concierge Harvard MDs who do house calls.
Denver will own the land with this arrangement, which allows Denver to control some of what they do now, and allows us to redevelop it a few decades from now based on contemporaneous needs
Two for every county with over 250,000 people (there are 9, so 18 in total), plus a statue in the next 14 largest counties (all with over 25,000 people), for a total of 32 statues spread throughout the state. (Pueblo and GJ in Mesa are <250k but >100k, and should each get one 50ft+ statue)
With inflation, they're both <$1M, so we can get thirty animals around the state
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PROPOSAL: Instead of spending $30M on a pedestrian bridge at the Capitol, what if Colorado funded GIANT BLUE ANIMALS across the state? HEAR ME OUT: Divide the $$ to ~12 cities to each build a sculpture. BAM, new statewide scavenger hunt. A tourism magnet. #copolitics
I just noticed that the map doesn't have an update with this year's legistlation in Colorado
This is very location-dependent. However, a national blanket minimum of three stories absolutely makes sense and would prevent historic houses from stopping development. A 30-story minimum probably makes sense in NYC and Chicago.
Right now, SROs are illegal in huge parts of the US, but they can be legalized without 60 US senators voting together on something. They just require zoning changes. When I was unhoused (couchsurfing+camping), an SRO was exactly what I needed, but it wasn't (and still isn't) available.
Austin saw rents drop 20% because they built a significant amount of housing. Denver has seen a 10% drop because we built a substantial amount. This is good for tenants. Homelessness gets solved through SROs and Permanent Supportive Housing (which gets built by a specific subset of developers).
I'm not in Chicago, along with 99% of the US population. YIMBY literally backs the repeal of the Faircloth Amendment, along with tenant protections. That said, saying nobody can build housing until we have 60 Democratic senators is absurd.
So, in the real world of a capitalist US economy, what does non-explotative housing look like? Because neither of us live in Vienna, and even if we did, we'd have to rent market-rate units for two years and learn German before we could even get on a waitlist for a non-profit unit.
I just linked to the City of Vienna's webpage. I'm going to assume that their published data is accurate
I build for-sale and on-spec (IE, an ADU for a family or a fourplex for four families). Some buyers rent to family members, some rent on the open market, some live in them themselves. I personally live in an ADU I built that I rent from one of my customers, who is also my friend and a fellow YIMBY.
Vienna gov: "Vienna boasts one million housing units. Of these, 33 percent belong to the private housing sector, while 21 percent are co-operative dwellings, 22 percent are municipal flats, 19 percent are condominiums, and 5 percent are other types of housing." socialhousing.wien/policy/housi...
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle...
Only 25% of housing in Vienna is owned by the city. Another 35% is in private non-profit co-ops, and 40% is privately held.
What you're talking about are landlord problems: exploiting people and vacant units. Developers do a single job: build housing. I don't care whether I'm doing it for a city, the federal government, a private owner, or an investment group, as long as housing gets built.
