Affordable Housing shortage in Detroit

[Johnnny5]

One thing that might help is changing property tax laws and square footage restrictions to encourage the building of smaller homes [[On smaller lots) as opposed to unnecessarily large ones. Family size is shrinking and there are more Americans living alone than ever before, but homes just keep getting bigger and bigger. The average sized home being built today is now over 2000 square feet! They cost more to build, cost more to heat/cool and more to maintain. They also require more labor and materials to build which is going to be a bigger concern going forward.

What if we instituted a statewide one time $2500 [[Or whatever number makes sense) tax credit to those buyers of a new home under 1500 square feet, and offset it by placing a $2500 fee on homes built over 1500 square feet? The credit would encourage the construction of smaller "starter" homes and infill construction in Detroit and the inner suburbs. At the same time the fee on larger homes may discourage wasteful spending, and might help pull builders away from the higher end of the market.