One Brick Two Brick
I have posted my attitudes about the insufferable design review process, which acts as a bottleneck for development creating high costs & long schedules to build housing. The review meeting that inspired that rant finally had it’s rescheduled follow up last night. If you recall, one of the board members who delayed 300 homes said “there’s red brick and there’s red brick”, and alluded to the fact that the developer needed to study about 347 different brick options, which they did. Someone named Ted Geisel wrote this hilarious Dr Seuss themed poem and read it as public comment
One Brick, Two Brick, Red Brick, Blue Brick
Green Brick, Blue Brick, Old Brick, New Brick
Yes. Some are red and some are blue.
Some are old and some are new.
A lot of bricks to consider for design review!
From there to here
From here to there
Design review is everywhere!
Oh me! Oh my! Oh me! Oh my!
What a lot of buildings must comply
Some have two floors and some have four.
Some have six floors and some have more.
This project started under Obama.
With public meetings full of drama.
Design Review sure takes a while.
Ignoring the housing crisis, in denial
What we really need is some housing built.
So please pass this project and absolve your guilt.
Now, I spoke with Ted about how hilarious this poem was and what inspired it. He told me his intent was for his 5 year old adorable daughter to read it but with processes like design review halting development, the housing crisis that started when she was born has hit her before she can read. Ted worries the house she’s growing up in will never be obtainable to her unless Ted dies in it, which is truly a cruel reality we have to consider for our city’s youth.
