Announcing Pacaso’s Government Advisory Board

Colin Tooze, VP of Public Affairs & Communications at Pacaso
Colin Tooze
August 1, 2024
Aerial view of a home on the South Carolina coast
It’s no secret that communities across the US are dealing with the local impacts of the housing crisis. In the wake of the pandemic, rising demand for second homes and a shortage of inventory have combined to drive prices to record highs. 
One significant, but less-discussed, contributor to the housing crisis is a wasteful legacy model of second-home ownership, which sees second homes in many communities sitting unused for about 90% of the year. If this model ever made sense, it certainly doesn’t today. Against this backdrop, it’s more important than ever to invest in creative solutions. While no company can solve this complex set of problems on its own, Pacaso offers a sustainable alternative that combines multiple families into one luxury home. Pacaso’s co-ownership model unlocks significant benefits to communities, including more tax revenue and 10x the economic activity of the typical second home. However, we’re at the very earliest stages of realizing this value, and one of Pacaso’s priorities is to work collaboratively with elected officials. To do that as effectively as possible, we need the advice and counsel of experts who have weighed similar issues in the past, and have valuable insights to share.That’s why we’re excited to announce the formation of Pacaso’s Government Advisory Board. With a diverse, bipartisan membership from current and former elected officials and regulators with deep experience addressing emerging public policy issues, the Board is ideally-suited to advise Pacaso on how best to work with governments and community leaders. The inaugural members of Pacaso’s Government Advisory Board are: 
  • Steve Benjamin (Chair), Former Mayor of Columbia, SC and past President of the US Conference of Mayors
  • Steve Adler, Mayor of Austin, Texas
  • Michael Hancock, Mayor of Denver, Colorado
  • Danny Perez, Member, Florida House of Representatives
  • Alexis Podesta, Former California Secretary of Business, Consumer Services, and Housing
This world-class group will provide insights and recommendations to senior Pacaso leadership to help shape the company’s actions around housing policy, community engagement, growth and expansion, and other strategic policy issues.We’re grateful for their time and expertise as we continue to pursue Pacaso’s mission to enrich lives by making second-home ownership possible and enjoyable for more people.  Statement from Chairman Benjamin:  Pacaso’s innovative second home co-ownership model is a value-add to communities across the United States,” said Steve Benjamin, former Mayor of Columbia, SC and past President of the US Conference of Mayors. “Pacaso consolidates second home demand into fewer homes, taking pressure off of housing inventory for first-time home buyers and middle class families. This is the thoughtful and sustainable approach to housing we need right now, and I’m proud to help advise the company as it works to bring this model to more communities.”

Featured articles

1/

Sign up

Get the latest insights and tips.