Chris Whit Ewen

“…at the end of the day, this isn’t just about housing it’s about community. It’s about ensuring our kids can grow up and stay here that our teachers and nurses aren’t forced to move away.” Contact your TX reps to vote yes. #txlege #HousingForAll statesman.com/story/opinion/…

@SamFletch214 @WalkerATX @fox7austin I was there and I can see both sides. Some things better (eg food scene, innovation hub development) but some losses (as you wrote) also

@WalkerATX @fox7austin This version of Austin was 100x better than the current version. I don’t care about the aesthetics of the shiny, modernistic skyline. This Austin hadn’t sold its soul and become Dallas—materialistic, overcrowded and elitist. Anyone who says otherwise was never there 30 years ago.

Let's take another helicopter ride over downtown Austin 30+ years ago. @fox7austin

A SLAP 👋 in the face by North Texas cities like Grand Prairie & Frisco to EVERY YOUNG Texas Family, Firefighter and Teacher and their hard work to AFFORD the #TexasMiracle through #SB840 (TX law allowing homes in commercial zones) #txlege @CityOfArlington, @cityofplanotx, @CityOfFriscoTx, @JeffCheney, @thecityofirving, @gp_tx, @MayorJensen2022 ICYMI, N Texas cities requiring: 🏊‍♂️ Olympic Size Pools 🐕 Dog Saunas 🧘‍♀️ Yoga Studios + more…. @AlexHrwtz @pewtrusts @keranews

If you’re a developer, architect, or property owner whose apartment project in Frisco, Irving, Plano, Arlington or Grand Prairie is being delayed, denied, or made impossible by local zoning tricks, @IJ may be able to help. #txlege #SB840

@pablo_builds This is fascinating. Could you take a deeper dive on one of your categories eg fire resistance? And have any states taken some reforms in this area?

The underlying problem with the American building code is the broken philosophy. America regulates how to build. Other parts of the world, like Europe, regulate on the outcomes they want to achieve. In the US, codes are prescriptive. “Use this material, this spacing, this assembly.” Follow the recipe or risk approval. In Europe, codes are performance-based. “Your building must meet this fire-resistance, this efficiency, this durability.” How you get there is up to you. Both still address things like height limits and insulation values. But while the American system makes compliance more straightforward, it makes innovation impossible. Hard to take risks when a single failure or delay threatens your entire build, if not, your whole company. I think this trend is generally true everywhere, including in zoning, permitting, and policy. We dictate process instead of outcomes. This is the wrong decision, and it rewards compliance over creativity. No regulation isn’t the answer. Better regulation is.

I'm way late to this one, but have to point out: In Texas, you see bumper stickers that say "Don't California My Texas," and yet that's exactly what some cities are doing through their creative efforts to skirt a new state law allowing multifamily on land zoned commercial. From cities like Arlington and Irving adds ridiculous requirements for expensive amenities, that only makes projects less likely to work (and if they, drive up rents)... And then Frisco takes the cake, acting like a smart alecky high school kid trying to skirt an assignment. They've exploited a loophole in the state law that says land zoned for "heavy industrial" (think oil refineries) is exempt, so they changed their zoning to allow heavy industrial on all land zoned commercial ... effectively neutering the state law, while retaining the right to veto any specific heavy industrial project (which they'd surely do). These cities will claim they know what their cities need and that the state law is overreach, but these childish actions reflect they don't even realize they're "California-ing their Texas." They're more concerned about master plan aesthetics and dated stereotypes of multifamily than they are about ensuring their current and future residents/workers have an affordable place to live. It may take decades to play out, but these types of decisions ultimately backfire in terms of reduced availability and worsened affordability. And just like Los Angeles and other CA cities, cities like Frisco will eventually see affordability worsen -- and they'll blame everyone but themselves for the problems they're creating.

UNIRONICALLY Texans ASKED for affordable homes for working families in the midst of an AFFORDABILITY crisis w #SB840, a law opening up commercial land in cities to homes Cities like @thecityofirving RESPONDED with ILLEGAL MANDATES of👇 🐶a dog spa 🧘yoga room 🚴bike repair station Out of touch much? #txlege Source @TexasTribune @JoshuaFechter

🚨BREAKING: “HOUSING AFFORDABILITY,” Grand Prairie-style (or Beverly Hills style?) proposal on Texas’s SB840: Proposed Mandates below 👇 take 30 seconds to EMAIL lawmakers to SAVE the American Dream of homeownership in TX (LINK IN COMMENT) 🏊‍♂️ OLYMPIC LEVEL🏅 13,448 sq ft pool 🎨 ART mandate 🚫 No compact parking (indirectly prohibiting middle class cars like sedans!) 🏢 1,000 sq ft min 1BR (AS BIG AS A STUDIO) Because NOTHING says “American Dream” like forcing every project to be a LUXURY @RitzCarlton style resort. #SB840 #TxLege #YIMBY #GrandPrairie @gp_tx @MayorJensen2022

@four_mmmm @mnolangray Shhhh

@mnolangray Wow Americans would love Mexico City by that criteria! I wonder if any know about it?

Reasons why Americans enjoy visiting Europe: 1. It's fun to be among the top 5% richest people in a given place. 2. It's fun to be in a really big city with lots of amazing shops and restaurants. 3. It's fun to be able to get around by walking, bicycle, and trains. 4. Etc.

@YIMBYtown @NathanDugan I had to lead an unconference session, and would love to connect with anyone that’s willing to share !

Advocates in Florida, Montana, Arkansas, and Texas have had a number of successes. What lessons can the rest of us learn? Tune in:

@Uber_Support I DMed you as requested, but you gave me a canned response and closed the case. You charged me for a trip my father never took. This is a fraudulent charge. I provided the trip ID and proof the trip wasn’t taken, yet you refuse to remove the charge.Unacceptable. @Uber_Support

@chrisewen Hi there! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We're here to assist. Can you please DM us the email address and phone number linked to your account? We'll be looking forward to your response. twitter.com/messages/compo…

Uber charged me for a "ghost ride." My father was never picked up, but the app shows a completed trip. GPS data and phone records prove he never left the origin. Not just a billing error; serious safety/trust issue. @Uber_Support I need a full investigation. #UberScam #GhostRide

@NicoleNosek417 @AEI @TobiasPeterAEI Fantastic to see some validation and concurrence on the data front. More familiarity could have a accelerating effect on local policy more broadly than the existing law as well.

📊 BREAKING: New projections from @AEI’s @tobiaspeterAEI & Edward Pinto show the power of letting Texans build the kinds of homes the middle class actually wants. SB 15 is expected to ADD 10,046 new homes/year — a 12% increase over Texas’s long-term average — by tacking onerous, outdated minimum lot size req’ts. This is what evidence-based policy looks like. Hats off 🎩 to @DanPatrick, @GatesforTexas, @TeamBettencourt #txlege #AmericanDream #SB15

@nanjpowell @berkie1 Yes, and on the other hand: How do you eat an elephant?

@berkie1 Here in Florida, Jacksonville’s downtown has no minimum parking requirements, but new parking garages are going up every day. The developers, maybe the banks? required it. And without public transit, I guess you can’t blame them. But it is not a panacea.

🚨The North Carolina Legislature voted unanimously (107 to 0) to ban minimum parking requirements in new developments statewide.

@ieexplained @RitikaChopra__ Excellent article educating the public in the value of global cooperation in this case related to air safety and accident investigation in particular. Thank you

Why are foreign agencies, particularly from the US and the U.K., involved in investigating the crash of an Indian airline on Indian soil? @RitikaChopra__ explains: indianexpress.com/article/explai…

🚨ALERT: BIG WIN🚨 SB15 Starter Homes in New Neighborhoods PASSES 78-57 out of the House, heading to @gregabbott_tx desk 🚗🚗 @pewtrusts shows this policy has REDUCED housing prices by almost 40%! BIG thanks to @gatesfortexas, @DanPatrick , @TeamBettencourt and hardworking allies like @TPPF , @austinhabitatforhumanity, @TexasAFP , @TexasAppleseed , @txbiz , @dallashousingco and MANY more.

The past several days in the Texas Legislature have been busy on the housing affordability front. An update about where the big housing bills stand: texastribune.org/2025/05/27/tex… @TexasTribune #txlege

Specifically, @egbd27 was a DREAM to work with -- true embodiment of TX2036 and I can't wait to work with her again

@ChrisGTurner @Banaszrl Please share your gazpacho recipe !

@Banaszrl 😂 Don’t worry, I’ll be making it!

Update. The list is now live. 😐 #txlege

@TXPolResearch SB15 allows starter homes and townhomes, which are popular. When allowed, it’s often just one of the home types that communities build, along with single family, apartments, retail etc. Building smarter and smaller = more efficient with land and water.

🚨 After further review and key conversations, we’ve updated our position on #SB15 relating to affordable housing. We recommend a YES vote as the bill heads to the #txlege House floor today. It advances liberty across the board. 📘 Our updated analysis: texaspolicyresearch.com/bills/89th-leg…

For my friends in Texas: There are 2 bills in the legislature that would help boost housing supply. SB 840 would allow multifamily to be built on underutilized commercial/industrial areas. SB 15 would force cities to allow smaller homes on smaller lots in subdivisions. Contact your legislators to encourage them to support both bills.