This Builder of 3D Prefab Homes Says It Can Tackle the Housing Crisis
May 13, 2021
The U.S. and California, in particular, are in the midst of a housing crisis. According to Freddie Mac, the U.S. housing market is short 3.8 million homes. A lack of affordable housing primarily fuels the housing shortage. As construction costs increase, homeownership is an elusive goal to many. Could more sustainable building practices, such as the scaling up of 3D prefab homes, help?
Although there have been considerable advances in green building practices, often, these innovations are not adopted by developers. Meanwhile, climate change is causing flooding, sea-level rise, severe storms, and wildfires, and housing needs to be resilient to these forces.
Connie Wilson and Larry Vermeulen
Pacaso Inc is a Delaware-based real estate holdings company founded in 2020, (and doing business as Landholdings, Inc. until October of that year). They have raised a billion dollars in funding from angel investors and venture capitalists. Pacaso creates a Limited Liability Company (LLC) to purchase a home in a desirable vacation destination, then sells âsharesâ in that LLC, claiming that the shareholders are âfractional ownersâ of the property.
Through this legal sleight-of-hand they claim that they are exempt from all regulations pertaining to time-shares or short-term vacation rentals. In fact, when the city attorney found that their fractional ownership model was just a time-share with a different name, Pacaso filed suit in the U.S. District Court of Northern California, arguing among other things, that the city of St. Helena does not have the authority to regulate the kinds of uses that occur within its boundari
This year’s program seeks to support the expansion of community compost in Boston
BOSTON - Wednesday, May 5, 2021 - Today, Mayor Janey announced the launch of the 2021 Public Space Invitational, a civic design competition that seeks ideas to reimagine our public spaces in Boston. In partnership with the City of Boston’s Public Works Department, Environment’s Zero Waste team, TD Bank, and The Trustees, the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics is seeking proposals for customized compost bins to support the ongoing expansion of community compost in Boston. Six project proposals will be selected, and winning teams will have up to $5,000 for the implementation of their ideas. Applications are available at space.newurbanmechanics.org and will be accepted through June 1st, 2021.
About Oasys: Single family homes are still built and designed in the same way they were more 100 years ago with barely any innovation. We are a startup using a proprietary and revolutionary technology that allows us to build beautiful modern homes, ten times faster than with traditional.
Michelle Lombard
Short-term rental units must decrease in order for ADUs to succeed in serving our residents.
COVID-19 has affected all of us in one way or another. Recently, you can clearly see the COVID-created pressure on housing. The Cape’s allure – natural beauty, less density and unique character – that has long attracted residents and visitors. Housing prices have skyrocketed. Multiple buyers pay sellers more than asking price, and some even offer cash. Houses sell in days. Prices are high, and inventory is low. It creates an impossible situation for locals needing housing.
What the Town did – and didn’t do – to address this growing housing pressure on its residents is a curious state of affairs, as it seems that the Town is stoking the fire instead of tamping it down. Whether intentional or unintentional, the cumulative result of current policy appears to cause significant harm. These actions and inactions affect almost every housing-related issue in town.