DC housing priorities and the dearth of 'family housing'

[Anonymous]

Here is the flaw with your logic, you think that the DC government or some entity needs to lure families in? No, it doesn't work that way. Developers invest in areas and create a product that people want to buy based on demand. If the demand was there developers would create such housing.

[Anonymous]

To the PP, I think my point (and possibly the OP's) is that isn't it interesting that all the historic districts in this city contain rowhouses and that now there are no more rowhouses being constructed, but instead only 1/2 br condos?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^My point is, why/when did development 'stop' building new ""family"" houses?

Developers are building a lot of townhomes in the NE section of the city. There are new townhomes going up in Ft. Lincoln (new costco), ft. totten, brookland metro station and new hampshire avenue chillum. there are also new townhomes going up in southeast, east of the river as well. the family homes are being built, maybe just not where you want them. but people are purchasing them, that's why they are building more and more.

[Anonymous]

The demand is not for families.

And hence, school quality/performance follows.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am ok with a condo but even the condos are not suited for family living. They need to start making more 3 BR models available.

Why would they be? There is no market here for that, unlike NY. Of course, you could always do what folks who want a family-size condo do - buy 2 and combine them. It is fairly common, even here.

[Anonymous]

Developers are building a lot of townhomes in the NE section of the city. There are new townhomes going up in Ft. Lincoln (new costco), ft. totten, brookland metro station and new hampshire avenue chillum. there are also new townhomes going up in southeast, east of the river as well. the family homes are being built, maybe just not where you want them. but people are purchasing them, that's why they are building more and more.

Good point. +1

[Anonymous]

How far within DC proper are you interested in going?

Out in Glover Park there are a ton of row houses.

I thought they built a bunch of townhouses around the Nats ballpark / Navy Yard.

[Anonymous]

There are many new homes in the palisades

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Developers are building a lot of townhomes in the NE section of the city. There are new townhomes going up in Ft. Lincoln (new costco), ft. totten, brookland metro station and new hampshire avenue chillum. there are also new townhomes going up in southeast, east of the river as well. the family homes are being built, maybe just not where you want them. but people are purchasing them, that's why they are building more and more.

+2. The townhomes near the costco are pretty nice and the area seems decent. Not sure why you (OP) can't find anything suitable for your family.

[Anonymous]

I just don't get why you need a new house, OP. We live in a rowhouse with our two kids; the house is 100+ years old. There are new rowhouses around us, too--down by the Navy Yard.

I don't think any good urban planner thinks that building a bunch of SFHs in a city center, or anywhere close to it, makes sense.

[Anonymous]

There's a lot that DC could do - through the comprehensive plan, zoning regulation rewrite to set aside more units in new developments to accommodate families. Despite the professed objective of attracting new residents to Washington, it's pretty clear that means singles and childless couples. Attracting and retaining families is not a priority for the Office of Planning and Harriet Tregoning, a super shill for the development lobby.

[Anonymous]

No family housing in DC??? OP, where do you live now and have you ever travelled off your block? I've lived in several other urban areas in the US, and DC has more townhouses/rowhouses/SFHs in the urban core than most other cities. A lot of them are expensive (NWDC) and a lot of them are in less gentrified areas of the city. But they are there; why aren't you aware of them, or why are you ruling out these vast swaths of the city?

[Anonymous]

OP, there are literally hundreds of "family style" homes for sale at any given moment.

Oh, you want to live with your family on 14th Street, in a 3br new construction place that's just a little more expensive than your old 1br? I can't decide if you're incredibly naive or just an idiot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^My point is, why/when did development 'stop' building new ""family"" houses?

Until the last 15 years, DC was losing residents at a steady clip. Many of those that left were families who headed out to the suburbs leaving their row houses behind. I would argue that there is no shortage of family housing in DC as a whole. In fact, as I drive around my corner of NW and NE, there are row houses such as you described as far as the eye can see. The issue at hand isn't supply of family-friendly housing, it's supply of affordable family-friendly housing in desirable areas. However, with land being as expensive as it is, there is no incentive for developers to build row houses when they can build luxury apartments, particularly in the city center. Apart from financial considerations, many urban planners would argue against the wisdom of building single-family housing in the areas where these condos are going up. The buzz word these days is "density."

Your best bet is to look a bit further afield. There are many lovely neighborhoods throughout the city that provide solid housing stock and short commutes. They might just be places you didn't think you would want to live 10 years ago. The city is changing rapidly, you could be making a really smart investment.

P.S. -- As a lifelong Washingtonian, I beg you not to root for the local football team. It's not good for your sanity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To the PP, I think my point (and possibly the OP's) is that isn't it interesting that all the historic districts in this city contain rowhouses and that now there are no more rowhouses being constructed, but instead only 1/2 br condos?

This is because between WWII and about 10 years ago, DC was literally hemorrhaging residents, particularly those of the family variety. There is no need to construct new row houses because there are tons already there. Plus, if they were to build new ones in the city center, they would cost $2+ million. I was on 12th street the other day and a row house cost $1.8 million. When I lived in Dupont Circle in 1994, you could pick up a gorgeous prime location row house for $400,000.