Quick gripe about zoning
From the New York Times, on how triple-decker houses in New England have been hit with unusually high foreclosure rates:
Boston, home to roughly 15,000 three-deckers, is taking a different approach. It has not demolished any abandoned three-deckers because city officials want to preserve as many affordable housing units as possible, said Evelyn Friedman, chief and director of the Boston’s Department of Neighborhood Development.
Modern zoning laws, Ms. Friedman said, would never allow three units on such small lots.
“If we have four three-deckers on 12,000 square feet and could only get two on that amount of land now,” Ms. Friedman said, “we are losing six units. So it’s very important to us to sustain them.”
Or you could, you know, change the zoning laws, you know?
Sort of interesting online since at least 2004.
June 20th, 2009 at 11:16 am
Change laws that are ridiculously arbitrary and restrictive? What are you, a commie?
June 20th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Hooty hoo! Houston still has no zoing laws and we are still tearing down “quant” old 50s era bungalos and putting in rows of triple deckers or even four story and five story townhomes in lots with no yard and barely a place to put park a car.
If that doesn’t typify Houston’s wild west spirit, I don’t know what does.
Here’s a link to what I mean. (Better look quick before it gets snapped up by speculators.)
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1145-W-24Th-Unit-A_Houston_TX_77008_1109348602
June 20th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
What’s the problem? Fire codes or something. It’s not clear what is wrong with those. Baltimore has plenty of three level row houses.
June 20th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
“The problem”? If you allow folks to build houses that don’t sprawl over 48 acres, why poor people will be able to buy them – and god knows we don’t want poor people living where we actually have to see them from our very own yards. Not that we could see them from our yards what with the tall fences we put up, and not that we’re in our yards since we’re inside with our enormous home-entertainment system anyway.