When you argue for housing reform to legalize denser development in our cities, you quickly learn that some people hate density. Like, really hate density, with visceral disgust and contempt for any development pattern that involves buildings being tall or close together.
Yeah it’s really weird how some people hate density. It’s like they think it’s cruel and unusual punishment. Many even think that to even see 3+ stories.
“Oh my
virginsingle family dwelling eyes!”That reminds me of a laugh that I had while attending (on Zoom) a local government hearing about a proposed 3 1/2-story development. The neighbors were positively unhinged in their opposition. One of them claimed that it was out of character for the neighborhood because there was not even one building taller than 2 stories on the street between there and downtown. I had to laugh, because I was sitting in my apartment on that street; out the west window I could see the house immediately adjacent was 3 stories. Out the north window, I was looking at a 3-story condo complex. (And there was the 3-story high school just down the block.)
But all of those things had been there for years, so they didn’t even see 3+ stories (anymore).
Oh my God do you live in my neighborhood? A church here wants to sell its land (which is asphalt parking lot), downsize itself and put up a low rise apartment building ON the main 6 lane road, next to the Walgreens and right near a road with apartments on it, and the freaking Nextdoor went so crazy I had to abandon it. They freaked out about “low income units”, the plan to put retail on the first floor (again, this is next to the Walgreens, and no shit, across that big road from a pawn shop). What the fuck, neighbors? It’s a great use for the space.