Inside the paperwork behind a housing affordability crisis

Behind every housing approval is a paper trail — planning applications, ownership transfers, zoning variances — and over several months this investigation pulled those records together to see what they show when read side by side.

The picture that emerges is not one dramatic decision but a series of smaller ones: parcels rezoned years apart, approvals granted with little public comment, ownership structures that make it hard to see who ultimately benefits. Individually, each looks routine. Together, they help explain why supply hasn't kept pace with demand.

City officials say the process follows established rules. Housing advocates argue the rules themselves are the problem. This piece lays out the record and lets readers draw their own conclusions, with source documents linked below for anyone who wants to check the work.