Posted on 11/21/2021 8:27:57 AM PST by DUMBGRUNT
Over the summer, the Los Angeles City Council Public Safety Committee approved a proposal to expand Fire District 1, an anachronistic planning overlay that would effectively ban wood-frame construction in much of the city. Superficially premised as a measure to improve fire safety, the motion has been heavily promoted by special interests in the concrete industry, who would heavily benefit from the prohibition. Yet as less partial observers have pointed out, the motion would significantly increase the cost of constructing housing in Los Angeles, to no clear fire safety benefit.
According to a report by the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, expanding Fire District 1 would raise building materials costs by anywhere from 10.6 to 47.1 percent.
Few would doubt the need for robust fire safety or strict building standards. But the reality is that expanding Fire District 1 improves upon neither.
(Excerpt) Read more at pacificresearch.org ...
― Thomas Sowell
I received this quote the other day, and it illuminates most everything.
You’re right... I remember that quote. Sowell is the bomb!!
BTW-What does it matter what your house is made of, if you are living on a fault line?
Concrete block construction cracks and crumbles in earthquakes!
“if you are living on a fault line?”
Great point.
Know what types of building go down faster than anything during a quake?
And it doesnt take a very big one to collapse them totally either.
Just look at Miami 6 months ago. Concrete tombs for all.
Your Sowell quote is absolutely apropos here!
There’s two kinds of concrete: concrete that’s cracked and concrete that’s going to crack.
The costs of reconstruction after an earthquake will be greatly increased. Stick houses stand up to quakes much better than concrete ones do
When you put six housing units on space meant for one one must adjust.
More costly, yes, but anyone with half of mine can see that a brick or concrete building is less of a fire hazard than a wood constructed one. The bigger long-term challenges that we’re not going to cut food sources for termites. Where are the environmentalists to protect the termites?
[[the motion has been heavily promoted by special interests in the concrete industry]]
Is concrete business still run by mob?
Wouldn’t concrete construction require more mining of non-renewables, whereas you can always grow more trees.
To make things easier for the Los Angles city council, someone should make a list of everything that is sensible. Then Los Angeles can ban all those things.
It would save everyone involved a lot of time.
FBJ
It depends on if you are looking at the house or your survival.
I’d rather be in a somewhat flexible wood frame structure than a concrete box that will no doubt crush me when it cracks and comes down.
It’s not so much that, but the energy required to make concrete.
That said, stick built apartments are generally crap inside of 30 years in my estimation.
In their passion to destroy the middle class, the left will make the poor poorer. And liberals see the destitute as their base, so the more the better.
In the Des Moines IA close to me, something with similar restrictions and no benefits.
There are 4 local “historical districts “.
Any renovations to homes require approval of the historical board.
Basically no vinyl windows , only expensive wood siding , etc.
The boards are not elected, and they have final say on what homeowners can do to their homes.
I’m not sure that is the case anymore. The Democrats have become the party of the “elite.” CEOs, government contractors, doctors, lawyers, ect… the wealthiest and most upscale areas correlate strongly with some of the most liberal and Democrat precincts in the country.
They look down their nose with contempt at the poor and working class. These people don’t view them as a base, they view them as their servants.
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