Monthly Columns Archives

Over a long career of observing developers at close range, I’ve evolved an understanding of how they think and act, and, as a result, find myself with an unexpected sympathy for them. Though the algorithmic model that follows may seem reductive, time and again it’s been critical to making good deals happen and succeed. Consider it the wisdom of experience.

Holly Wiedemann is an award-winning developer based in Lexington, KY and a leading advocate for affordable housing and historic preservation.

In November, 1478, Pope Sixtus IV by fiat granted Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain authority to name inquisitors plenipotentiary to protect the one true faith from unbelievers. In October, 2000, multiply re-elected Boston mayor Thomas Menino by fiat created for the Boston Redevelopment Authority the Impact Advisory Group process to protect communities from ‘large-scale’ developers. The mayor’s action, like those of many other big-city mayors across the country, reflected a pattern of increasing NIMBY empowerment now triumphant in far too many American cities: an elaborate public spectacle casting a veneer of altruistic morality over a power play culminating in an autocratic decision.

Daryl Carter grew up in Detroit, the son of a factory worker and a maid who fled the South after World War II to seek a better life. They instilled a strong work ethic in their son and encouraged him to pursue the best possible education.

Seems like we’ve been waiting for 2021 to arrive for much longer than a year, doesn’t it? I mean, who can blame us? COVID-19. Economic crash. Disruptions to work and school routines. Restaurants closed. Curfews in some cities and states. Budget impasses. Election drama. And to make matters worse, 2020 was a leap year. We had one whole extra day to wallow in our collective misery.

There’s no question our country is divided, as evidenced by the rancorous 2020 presidential campaign and heated down-ballot contests in many states. We’re all entitled to our political opinions, of course. And debating those opinions from the kitchen table to the town square is part of what makes America who we are. We are opinionated. We are strong-headed. And we are capable of getting anything done when we really need to.

When it comes to dealing with the looming or present expiration of judicial eviction moratoria, our industry should do what many of us have done whenever the economic times are out of joint: don’t litigate the past, negotiate the future.

I like to joke with other parents that we need to treat our children well, because someday they’ll be choosing our senior living arrangements and I’d like to live someplace nice.

When disruption threatens health and prosperity, whom does duty call, and to what action?

Thanks for picking up this month’s copy of Tax Credit Advisor. I’m the new executive editor, taking over from Marty Bell who is enjoying a well-earned retirement after bringing you news about industry innovation. Marty left some big shoes to fill, and it’s my goal to build on his efforts to give you the information and analysis you need to help you identify opportunities in your sector of the market. NH&RA is here to help you build your business, and our team wants to make this magazine and all our other content well worth your memberships and subscriptions.

If the pandemic itself doesn’t decide the upcoming election, the voters’ judgment of their elected officials’ policy responses to its consequences will. And voters’ pandemic experiences are wildly diverse based on many things – most especially on their housing, what it is and where it is.

Working with this organization for 11 years, I have devoted a good deal of my time addressing the needs of older adults along with many of you.