Preserving decaying units is the most cost-effective way to secure affordable housing. Helping landlords make repairs in exchange for keeping a unit affordable allows them to keep renting to lower-income folks long into the future - even as rents in the neighborhood go up. So yeah, it "counts". 🧵
To be fair, I get Corey’s confusion. You see, his pro-developer friends and donors only care about New Units. In fact, they would rather we focus on exclusively new market-rate housing, because that's how they make money. The problem is, that's been the approach for a decade plus here in Pgh...
...pricing long-time Pittsburghers out of the city.
As for the numbers, even Corey knows that once construction starts, you can claim it as a win. Just like in he claims Flats on Forward in Squirrel Hill that was Under Construction when he left office but was Completed under Mayor Gainey.
