TNT letters to the editor, 6/12/2021

Tacoma housing

Re: “Could an old shipping container be your new Tacoma home? Maybe someday soon,” (TNT, 6/9).

This concept for housing is a bad idea.

As an architect, I have had some experience with these things, but for storage, not housing. Typically these used containers are rust buckets, with huge dents all over, from years of abuse in the shipping industry.

Further, the exterior “skin” is very thick corrugated steel, not smooth. They are generally very air tight, which must be addressed for proper ventilation for any occupied use.

They are clunky, unattractive and most importantly very difficult and expensive to modify or retrofit – work which must be accomplished with blow torches and other special tools by skilled industrial workers.

Brand new containers are highly expensive, which will quickly cancel out any economic advantages.

Given these constraints, one can easily visualize collections of these things in residential yards, looking quite ugly.

Tacoma does not need this kind of scar on its landscape. I can already hear those snooty folks in Seattle, laughing at us, again.

This idea needs to die a quick death.

Jim Castino, Gig Harbor

Affordable housing

Re: “Development deal for downtown Tacoma heads back for another try at council approval,” ( TNT, 6/6).

The Tacoma Town Center is trying to move forward under the security of Opportunity Zones.

Opportunity Zone legislation is designed to promote projects that are essential to creating more affordable housing.

When completed, the Town Center is supposed to have only 98 affordable housing units with rents set at 80 percent area median income, along with 537 market-rate units.

Housing affordability is not a problem that the market will solve by itself. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) states that 48% of extremely low-income renters are seniors, or the householder has a disability.

An additional 43% are in the labor force, in school, or are single-adult caregivers. These disparities also disproportionately affect communities of color.

Opportunity Zones were not meant to be treated as another avenue of gentrification by pricing out low-income renters. We need positive interventions.

This Town Center is a chance to increase affordable housing supply, which is a stipulation of Opportunity Zone legislation.

Erika Jarmon, Tacoma

Racism

Two recent letters to the editor claimed incorrectly that racism is no longer a problem in America and that efforts to address racism are misguided and divisive.

Although we have made progress toward racial equality, we remain far from the destination. Past racist practices still cause harm today and many persist, whether intentional or not, causing further harm.

Black folks are followed, harassed or threatened while shopping, running, working or even watching birds. Collectively, our Black and Indigenous neighbors have had their history erased; they are treated more harshly by police, harmed by biases in medical care, denied job opportunities and face bigger barriers to home ownership.

Black parents fear for their children when they go out to work, shop or play. Asian Americans fear for their elders. Immigrants and American-born children of immigrants are harassed and told to go back where they came from.

Those of us who are white need to acknowledge this, quit making excuses and understand how we are complicit in ongoing racism.

This is not about guilt or shame, but rather about freeing ourselves to love our neighbors and confront the racism around us.

Craig Cogger, Tacoma

This story was originally published June 12, 2021 at 10:58 AM with the headline "TNT letters to the editor, 6/12/2021."