There isn't enough supply of residential properties in the inner core. This is why property values are so high, and as a result of that, our taxes are too.
Increase the supply, property values go down, and so do taxes. It's that simple. We need a mayor who takes the development of downtown, and our TOD's, to the next level.
As for existing infrastructure costs; my guess is it costs less to maintain existing infrastructure then it costs to build new infrastructure. It's also interesting to note the fire hydrant example; a fire hydrant downtown usually services way more people per hydrant than in the suburbs, given the higher densities of residential (and commercial) properties. Do we get tax breaks because of it? No. Is it a more efficient use of existing infrastructure? Yes. Maintaining these hydrants costs less than building new water lines and hydrants for fewer people / lighter densities in the suburbs.
Infrastructure also includes things such as parks... and there's some of us that just don't need backyards. If I want to go to a 'backyard', I can simply walk across the street to a nice, free, already taken care of, city-owned green space. And, they're huge. Way bigger than anything I could afford on my own. And guess what? I'm already helping to maintain that park through paying my taxes, so I just use what I'm already paying for. Parks are the best backyards in the City.
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