All I am hearing from the candidates for Astoria City Council is that it is somehow the government’s responsibility to make “affordable housing.” In reality, the best way for government to support creation of affordable housing would be reduce zoning, regulations, permits and building codes regarding building and rental properties.

In addition, regulations need to be reduced for Realtors and lenders to allow more people and firms to compete in the space. Landowners should be able to do as they see fit with their land and property, as long as their usage doesn’t directly impact their neighbors’ ability to use their land and property.

This would encourage more landowners to open their homes for rent or produce more units, while being more secure that their projects will happen with less costs and time involved, resulting in a higher supply of living spaces at a much lower cost. When newer units are created, the older units then become more affordable.

A candidate who supports these simple solutions would be the candidate who gets my vote for City Council.

ROBERT HANSEN

Astoria