Missing middle- Arlington

[Anonymous]

ITT: Urbanists who claim they want density but actually don’t, so the next best thing is your house.

Office vacancy is over 25% along the Orange Line Corridor.

This scam doesn’t even confine it to the part of Arlington that actually has public transit.

[Anonymous]

Twenty years on, most of the Missing Middle housing in Portland OR consists of 5,000 Accessory Dwelling Units that are easier to build on the somewhat larger lots. They are used by family members or rented for many purposes.

There are no areas where multi-household dwellings have been built for more than five years or so. And cities like Minneapolis made their regulations too difficult to build much MM housing

Arlington will be the example for many other cities because it has a strong economic reason for building MM housing.

Although I support MM housing, I was surprised that builders are doing plexes but then they explained the e inimical benefit of rentals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

Isn’t “missing middle” the national term? My guess is they changed it for Arlington because opponents were deliberately defining it incorrectly to mislead people. I read the county report containing estimated MMH prices and income requirements and was never confused.

[Anonymous]

Does anyone know you get the EHO Watch newsletter Roy started? I saw it mentioned in a news article but can't find it anywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

Isn’t “missing middle” the national term? My guess is they changed it for Arlington because opponents were deliberately defining it incorrectly to mislead people. I read the county report containing estimated MMH prices and income requirements and was never confused.

+1

Have we learned nothing over the last several years? People push misinformation all of the time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know you get the EHO Watch newsletter Roy started? I saw it mentioned in a news article but can't find it anywhere.

4chan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

Hey, I agree with what you said.
Arlington made such a hash of explaining MM that they had to clarify by changing the name to EHO — and one of the members of the Arlington County board did not know the initials also stood for Equal Housing Opportunity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know you get the EHO Watch newsletter Roy started? I saw it mentioned in a news article but can't find it anywhere.

She never did anything with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

Isn’t “missing middle” the national term? My guess is they changed it for Arlington because opponents were deliberately defining it incorrectly to mislead people. I read the county report containing estimated MMH prices and income requirements and was never confused.

Eh. People on Reddit clearly thought it meant affordable options and definitely thought it meant homes for sale rather than rentals. Why have the naacp come and talk about how it would impact black homeownership in Arlington if there was nothing in place to do encourage that outcome? All of the things that existed that make rentals more appealing now also existed in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So a house on 5041 25th Street S sold for $560k (4 beds 1 bath) to a developer who is going to tear it down and build 2 houses that probably cost a million each. Perfect example of pricing people out of Arlington - it’s going to be all renters and rich people. The proponents of MMH were so dishonest (or just really uninformed) - this was never going to help bring affordable housing or more housing for minorities - just more density.

The alternative was a builder buys it and builds a single 2.0 million house. Last time I checked 1.0 million is less than 2.0 million. It's adding more options in the middle.

No one ever said it was for affordable housing - you misunderstood them.

Well, the MM proponents were happy to have it misunderstood as "affordable housing" but plenty of people said it wouldn't be.

Looking at street view for that house/street, it actually seems like the kind of area where townhomes or a 4/6-plex would make sense. Very old, run down houses just off Route 7, behind a Taco Bell. Not a great location for a $2M house.

Literally no one said it was going to be affordable housing.

Many said it would be “affordable” housing but redefined “affordable” as the above poster did. A $1.5 million townhouse is more affordable than a $2.5 million single house.

Many also inferred it would be affordable because Arlington County did a miserable PR job in rolling out the plan

Why did they change the name from Missing Middle Housing (MMH) to Expanded Housing Options? Answer me that? Because people were led to believe that missing Middle priced homes would be the goal. Then when people called them out on this they needed to change the name. I was part of the meetings so you can’t spin this to me. They tried to sell MMH as housing for minorities and people that couldn’t currently afford Arlington. Then it turned out that these units were going to be around a million or up. Not really affordable at all.

Isn’t “missing middle” the national term? My guess is they changed it for Arlington because opponents were deliberately defining it incorrectly to mislead people. I read the county report containing estimated MMH prices and income requirements and was never confused.

Eh. People on Reddit clearly thought it meant affordable options and definitely thought it meant homes for sale rather than rentals. Why have the naacp come and talk about how it would impact black homeownership in Arlington if there was nothing in place to do encourage that outcome? All of the things that existed that make rentals more appealing now also existed in the past.

Exactly. I turned on a couple local TV news broadcasts the day that MM passed, and they talked about MM as remedying past exclusionary zoning and helping to encourage homeownership by minorities. Here is an example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QMzd38ztQQ

At least in that story, they interviewed that one woman at the end who called BS on the entire thing.

[Anonymous]

Why do you need a middle?

Most rich towns often have rich homes and a poorer section where the maids, landscapers, handiman live.

I mean does Beverly Hills, Palm Beach and Aspen concerned about the middle?

No

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need a middle?

Most rich towns often have rich homes and a poorer section where the maids, landscapers, handiman live.

I mean does Beverly Hills, Palm Beach and Aspen concerned about the middle?

No

Don't worry, this will actually help get rid of the middle class, as old-time, middle and lower-class homeowners sell out to developers. And then upper-class people move into the new duplex, townhouses, and multiplexes. It's a developer's dream.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need a middle?

Most rich towns often have rich homes and a poorer section where the maids, landscapers, handiman live.

I mean does Beverly Hills, Palm Beach and Aspen concerned about the middle?

No

Don't worry, this will actually help get rid of the middle class, as old-time, middle and lower-class homeowners sell out to developers. And then upper-class people move into the new duplex, townhouses, and multiplexes. It's a developer's dream.

This has been happening for years. Do you have any proof that MMH policy will speed up the sale of older homes to developers?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do you need a middle?

Most rich towns often have rich homes and a poorer section where the maids, landscapers, handiman live.

I mean does Beverly Hills, Palm Beach and Aspen concerned about the middle?

No

Don't worry, this will actually help get rid of the middle class, as old-time, middle and lower-class homeowners sell out to developers. And then upper-class people move into the new duplex, townhouses, and multiplexes. It's a developer's dream.

Are upper class people dying to live in multiplexes?