Durham City Council member Nate Baker is absolutely right to spotlight Durham’s affordability crisis—one of the defining challenges of our time. But the policies he promotes—rent control, resistance to housing supply reforms he dismisses as “neoliberal,” demanding steep developer concessions and additional discretionary review—may inadvertently worsen the very problem he’s trying to solve. While these approaches may help a lucky few with access to designated affordable units, they risk deepening the crisis for many more.
In a city with tens of thousands of cost-burdened residents, constraining housing development constrains housing options and drives up prices. It also slows the growth of the tax base we need to fund the very things Baker calls for and we enthusiastically support: deeply affordable housing, public transit accessible to all, quality parks in every neighborhood, and stronger and more equitable public schools.
We should be transparent: we’re both homeowners in an affluent Durham neighborhood. The question before our community is whether we want to protect people like us—or build a city where everyone can thrive…