Oh, Chevy Chase (DC affordable housing)!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lol. Who would want public housing near their houses. I grew up in the hood (37th pl — if you know, you know) and I can tell you that it is a nightmare. You white folks make me
Laugh.

But this isn’t public housing. It’s a market rate apartment building with 30 percent subsidized housing over a community center. The rents will be high in this building- luxury housing. And 30 percent will be subsidized at some level or various levels. This is a mixed-income building compromised mostly of luxury units.

DP.
Sometimes just saying no shuts the whole argument, whereas giving a finger leads to losing an arm.
There is a story upthread about how a community agreed to build housing for its residents but then there was a lawsuit and “urban” folks came in from other areas.

Good news! The people in this housing units will overwhelmingly be your fellow DC residents, rather than folks coming from "elsewhere."

CCDC does not equal DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s funny how these proposals go after neighborhoods that aren’t even that particularly wealthy. You will never hear this type of proposal in actually wealthy neighborhoods — Georgetown, Woodland, etc.

This isn’t true. We’ve already linked to the affordable units at City Center. If a new building goes up in Georgetown, it will have them.

What new residential buildings have gone up in Georgetown in the past, oh, 30 years? There's plenty of city-owned land there. We should be building housing there, too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please rezone Lafayette to feed into Wells/Coolidge. These bigots are so entitled. They need to be taught a lesson.

They'll just send their kids to private. CC is my hometown. My kids are 4th generation CC. Everyone knows that neighborhood kids that stay in the area live in CCDC only if they are REALLY rich. They send their kids to private school. The mildly rich buy homes in CCMD and send their kids to MCPS.

You must be joking. The majority of CCDC folks are middle class people in small houses who've been there forever.

+1

No, this isn’t true. Sorry. For one, they were never “middle class.” They were upper income, white collar professionals. And only people who have been there forever fit in that category now. Anyone moving in is priced out.

The baby boomers in this neighborhood were not all white collar professionals. Many were just middle class. One of my neighbors was a hairdresser who owned a small kiosk in one of the department stores in Friendship Heights. Two are contractors. One was a teacher. The later generations are white collar.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love Dave Chapell, but what I like best about him is his refusal to allow a developer and politicians bring section 8 housing to his community. Why? He, as a black man, who came from poverty and section 8 neighborhoods, he said he worked hard to get away from that life and was not going back. He understands the culture and history better than most, how did he stop it? He purchased the land the developer was going to use and kept it for himself and his community. I don't care what you call me, and I do not live in Chevy Chase, but I would fight it with all my might. I with Chapelle on this, difference is I am not afraid to say it, as he was not.

There is no proposal for Section 8 housing, although one of your compatriots did propose building 100% income restricted housing upthread as a way to justify a smaller building. Maybe y'all should focus on one strategy or the other; throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks just reinforces the impression that it's nothing but good old racism underneath all your indignation and window dressing.

I really hate when these conversations devolve into “so basically you’re a racist” accusations. These are complicated issues and as someone upthread mentioned, many people are asking questions and asserting their rights, which another poster affirmed was the democratic process as work. At least these kinds of debates are on the substance of the issue, whatever your take on what the outcome should be.

It brings to mind the school reopening debates and how that became one side pushing to reopen schools and the other side saying such a request was simply racist, which effectively made a lot of guilty white liberals shut up. I think it’s a disingenuous ploy to immobilize some of the opposition without responding to the substance.

I don’t have a dog in this fight (I don’t even live in DC anymore) but maybe for once we could accept that people will have differing views on affordable housing proposals that may not be based on racist views?

I stand by my point, which was never that a specific argument made was racist, but that the strategy of constantly shifting arguments to see what will have traction gives the strong impression that opponents are being disingenuous about their real motivations. If you don't want people to fill in the blank, then don't leave such a big blank space in your argument where the core motivation is supposed to go. Just say what you want and why you want it.

I don’t think the people in CCDC are racist in the sense of harboring personal animosity towards people because of their skin color, or at least not most of them. But most of them moved to the neighborhood (and worked hard and sacrificed to be able to do it) in order to benefit from an exclusionary history that is inextricably tied to issues of race and class and what it means to live in an urban community. There’s simply no honest way to engage in political activism to preserve those exclusionary practices and pretend that you’re not part of a continuous historical thread and you only care about the rose bushes and the benches by the parking lot or are determined to make sure no developers profit.

A few years ago I read the book Waking up White https://www.amazon.com/Waking-White-Finding-Myself-Story/dp/B01EINQC3I I grew up in CCDC and my parents were both very poor growing up. They lived in different parts of the country but ended up settling here because my dad worked for the Carter administration. He managed to go from nothing to a VP and a car company that is a household name. He worked incredibly hard. My parents made a lot of sacrifices. They still have a beautiful house in CCDC - the one I grew up in. All that aside - it does not mean that my father, and my parents (and myself), didn't benefit from their white-ness. Both things can be true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone know if the plan proposes what level of income is required for the Affordable units? I think that piece is missing from this conversation. People keep saying this is “low-income” housing but in many mixed-income complexes, you need to make 50-70k per year to afford your share of the rent. This is actually more “middle-income” than “low-income.” It’s also possible that there will be a spectrum of units and some will have deeper levels of affordability. Does anyone of this has been proposed yet?

As if it changes loud music from cars, blabbing outside at all hours, etc

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:These complexes become eye sores quickly.

My old town way back in 1967 they let a 30 unit Garden Complex rental property in town. Only rental complex in town. Was shinny and new and affordable. All good.

By 1979 was run down already those transient tenants were annoying and disturbing to the SFH home zoned area.

The mayor and building dept. ordered building to fix it up or he would pull his CO. He did not have money.

Town worked it out he converts to Condos, would get interest free loan to fund renovation and town would fast track permits and charge no fees. He did. Building code changed rental buildings illegal.

Popping 30 lower income families in a rich neighborhood sounds good in paper. It is not.

So why allow in first place?

That’s on the building owner to provide upkeep and the local govt to enforce

but I actually agree that it’s more like warehousing poor people into a single building and that just invites issues. Better to designate units scattered through out a few buildings than put everyone in a single building.

Also I think the scheme invites low income renters to take in additional people above their lease simply bc the rents are too high relative to their incomes and taking into account all other expenses. The rents are theoretically no more than the recommend portion of income. But many people also use theoretical income to qualify as in based on 52 weeks of work, 40 hours working every week and sometimes overtime when in reality most people in hourly jobs will not always work a full week, might work a lot of overtime one year and not the next, and will miss days of work and have no leave for emergencies and illness which all adds up to less then their theoretical income.

Different state but I was asked to provide paystubs to prove income for affordable housing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No one wants apartment buildings in their nice, SFH neighborhood. BFR as the kids say.

Isn't that why people moved to SFH neighborhoods? Because they're not in dense areas?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants apartment buildings in their nice, SFH neighborhood. BFR as the kids say.

Isn't that why people moved to SFH neighborhoods? Because they're not in dense areas?

Probably. But you can only own your own piece of property. This is government land. The government thinks it’s in its interest to create housing and an improved community center. I don’t see anyone offering to buy the community center and use private funds to improve it..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants apartment buildings in their nice, SFH neighborhood. BFR as the kids say.

Isn't that why people moved to SFH neighborhoods? Because they're not in dense areas?

Probably. But you can only own your own piece of property. This is government land. The government thinks it’s in its interest to create housing and an improved community center. I don’t see anyone offering to buy the community center and use private funds to improve it..

Get every CCDC resident to chip in and buy it - make it a private pool!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants apartment buildings in their nice, SFH neighborhood. BFR as the kids say.

Isn't that why people moved to SFH neighborhoods? Because they're not in dense areas?

Probably. But you can only own your own piece of property. This is government land. The government thinks it’s in its interest to create housing and an improved community center. I don’t see anyone offering to buy the community center and use private funds to improve it..

Get every CCDC resident to chip in and buy it - make it a private pool!

Or an ice rink.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No one wants apartment buildings in their nice, SFH neighborhood. BFR as the kids say.

Isn't that why people moved to SFH neighborhoods? Because they're not in dense areas?

Probably. But you can only own your own piece of property. This is government land. The government thinks it’s in its interest to create housing and an improved community center. I don’t see anyone offering to buy the community center and use private funds to improve it..

Get every CCDC resident to chip in and buy it - make it a private pool!

Or an ice rink.

That's right, get rid of the library so that the ignorant here can be even more so.

[Anonymous]

I grew up dirt poor living in the Bronx and slept on a mattress on living room floor till 12. When I got a bedroom at 13 was 10x9 I shared with brother.
Guess what motivated me in life. I live in a nice home in DMV worth around 1.8 million and also have a beach condo.

Why do I want to bring the crack heads from the Bronx with me to my new neighborhood?

Let them succeed on their own. Nothing motivates you more than sleeping on living room floor at 12 with no AC in July afraid to open windows as will get robbed or even better shot as stray bullets were common.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up dirt poor living in the Bronx and slept on a mattress on living room floor till 12. When I got a bedroom at 13 was 10x9 I shared with brother.
Guess what motivated me in life. I live in a nice home in DMV worth around 1.8 million and also have a beach condo.

Why do I want to bring the crack heads from the Bronx with me to my new neighborhood?

Let them succeed on their own. Nothing motivates you more than sleeping on living room floor at 12 with no AC in July afraid to open windows as will get robbed or even better shot as stray bullets were common.

thank you and congrats

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please rezone Lafayette to feed into Wells/Coolidge. These bigots are so entitled. They need to be taught a lesson.

They'll just send their kids to private. CC is my hometown. My kids are 4th generation CC. Everyone knows that neighborhood kids that stay in the area live in CCDC only if they are REALLY rich. They send their kids to private school. The mildly rich buy homes in CCMD and send their kids to MCPS.

You must be joking. The majority of CCDC folks are middle class people in small houses who've been there forever.

+1

No, this isn’t true. Sorry. For one, they were never “middle class.” They were upper income, white collar professionals. And only people who have been there forever fit in that category now. Anyone moving in is priced out.

The baby boomers in this neighborhood were not all white collar professionals. Many were just middle class. One of my neighbors was a hairdresser who owned a small kiosk in one of the department stores in Friendship Heights. Two are contractors. One was a teacher. The later generations are white collar.

+100 My older neighbors are a mix of former teachers, government workers, and journalists. Some had creative careers. The younger folks are white collar, but not the older ones!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please rezone Lafayette to feed into Wells/Coolidge. These bigots are so entitled. They need to be taught a lesson.

They'll just send their kids to private. CC is my hometown. My kids are 4th generation CC. Everyone knows that neighborhood kids that stay in the area live in CCDC only if they are REALLY rich. They send their kids to private school. The mildly rich buy homes in CCMD and send their kids to MCPS.

You must be joking. The majority of CCDC folks are middle class people in small houses who've been there forever.

+1

No, this isn’t true. Sorry. For one, they were never “middle class.” They were upper income, white collar professionals. And only people who have been there forever fit in that category now. Anyone moving in is priced out.

The baby boomers in this neighborhood were not all white collar professionals. Many were just middle class. One of my neighbors was a hairdresser who owned a small kiosk in one of the department stores in Friendship Heights. Two are contractors. One was a teacher. The later generations are white collar.

+100 My older neighbors are a mix of former teachers, government workers, and journalists. Some had creative careers. The younger folks are white collar, but not the older ones!

Yes but journalists are white collar professionals (many government workers are, too). They're not paid as well as K Street lawyers, but that doesn't make them somehow blue collar.