MattBaran

Oh wow, thanks!

You’re welcome!

Neighbors often tell you that if you had just notified them, they would have been nicer.

In my experience that’s not the case.

They’re almost always angry about change.

(Photo of our Chapman project in Jingletown. Ask me about the neighbors!)

It’s just been my singular experience. I’m sure there are many others who love it!

Yesterday I asked Ai for Berkeley code that allows for averaging of front setbacks in an R-2 zone.

It sent me the Missing Middle Ordinance. I said that’s not adopted yet.

It said ok here’s code section 23.304.030. I said that’s for MULI zones.

Then it just went into a loop. Section 3.33333…

I mean it is pretty toxic here.

Last week I walked this 100k prefab SFD / ADU in North Hollywood.

The guy who makes them placed 4 on his property as part of an SB-9 deal. He estimates install cost for all 4 units was another 100k.

All in 500k. For 4 units.

DENSITY GUIDE | Baran Studio Using Baran Studio projects, this guide provides a visual representation to developers and planners on different forms of density. Over the years, we have multiple projects where our dense development...

www.baranstudio.com/baran-studio...

The Baran Studio Density Guide provides a framework for unlocking housing capacity through replicable, policy-aligned design strategies.

We break down key mechanisms like ministerial approvals, subdivision reforms, and ADU policy shifts into deployable tactics across diverse site types.

Link👇🏼

This is a great opportunity for me to blow the whistle on you. I’ll settle for 500k. It’s peanuts.

This level of stupid is difficult to comprehend.

"In 2020, [Portland, OR] approved building [middle housing] on lots zoned for single family homes... A new report from the City says, it's working. 1,400 new units built in just a few years and each one is $300,000 less expensive than a typical single family home." @nbcnews.com

Their solution was to propose upzoning for their site, a risk no real world developer would take given the uncertainty of the time frame and outcome.

It was a stark reminder that even with all that’s been done to encourage housing production, there are still many cases where it just isn’t enough.

Great time at UC Berkeley MREDD final reviews yesterday.

One of the most interesting presentations showed how housing in Rockridge would not pencil under current zoning regulations, even with new state law or density bonuses.

Read the whole thing.

Are they subsidizing market rate developers yet?

Which of these will most help convince developers to build in California again?

A. Permit Streamlining
B. Upzoning
C. Single Stair Buildings
D. More Bike Lanes

The difference between a project penciling or not comes in part through an understanding of complex local codes and local politics and using design to work within those constraints. A good reading of code paired with good design can bring down the cost per unit and relative total project cost.

Project costs have been increasing exponentially, including A&E, high city fees, and construction, along with less tangible costs such as subjective design standards and risk of NIMBYs that work to block density. These in turn cause delays that can cost LOTS of time and money.

This is how you get elected.

Promise things that sound great and people will love, like making housing cheap or free.

Then enact policies that ultimately make housing more expensive.

You can always blame developers later.

These people said I ruined their neighborhood character and ran me out of town!

I’m now officially a “Palisades Fire Incident Contractor”. Not sure whether the fact I was able to obtain this permit is a sign of progress—or the fact I needed it at all a symptom of the opposite.

What do we mean when we say "filtering?" Distinguishing between two different housing market dynamics

"Filtering" is very important to understanding the impacts of new market-rate development, but the term seems to be used to describe two different things.

Today, I discuss two kinds of "filtering" in housing (and recent economic research on each topic)
pencillingout.substack.com/p/what-do-we...

They could’ve used that here…

This project was an early example of a mini-lot subdivision, a precursor to the kind of work we’re now pursuing using SB-684.

We used a bunch of fun & creative cost-effective strategies—wood beams that extend outside, recycled wood windows, a small fountain, and gutters repurposed as planters.

1 in 7 U.S. Homes Are Now Uninsured—Here’s Why That’s a Growing Risk for Buyers and Investors By Daniel Kaufman A new report reveals a startling statistic: more than 11 million homes across the U.S. are currently uninsured, representing roughly 1 in every 7 owner-occupied homes. As home ins…

1 in 7 U.S. homes are now uninsured—many in high-risk markets. As premiums skyrocket, this trend is reshaping buyer behavior and increasing exposure for investors. Here’s what you need to know:
danielkaufmanreal.estate/2025/03/26/1...

YIMBYtown 2025 YIMBYtown is the biggest national pro-homes conference in the country and we’re thrilled it is coming back to New England, just in time for the beautiful fall weather.

Registration for YIMBYTown 2025 is open. I've been to many conferences related to cities/housing, and this one is my favorite—engaging sessions (i.e. not all talks/panels), walks and bicycle rides, happy hours, etc. If you're at all interested in pro-housing advocacy, you must attend! yimby.town

Taxing e-bike sales to fund road damage repair caused by cars and to fund new highways that don’t have bike infrastructure.

A real “Robin Hood” moment

From last week… bsky.app/profile/matt...