Cottages, mother-in-laws, garage homes, and other “little” measures should be a big part of how we address affordability. Each cottage helps the cottage resident, the property owner, and every other local resident (by keeping supply up with demand).

Meanwhile they’ll provide a little extra support for neighborhood business districts, which benefit every time additional residents move in, particularly when the new residents aren’t in a new building with unneeded retail space on a non-retail street.

Some neighborhood residents will howl at the idea, and they’ll cause the City to do something wimpy. Basically we’ll be held hostage by people who think they’re classier than others, or who care more about their parking than affordability, in both scenarios based in signifcant part on misconceptions.