Alexandria on the Cusp of Eliminating All SFH Zoning

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Is it really NECESSARY to have multiple housing types in SFH areas when there are plenty of areas already zoned for multifamily or mixed use?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Alexandria will never be suburban sprawl. What part of housing discussions in this country is guided by "necessity?" Why not just build Communist apartment buildings?

Eh? All those exclusively "SFH neighborhoods" in Alexandria are suburban sprawl. What do you think suburban sprawl is?

DP. Yes. Do you?

I guess those neighborhoods of 80ish year old homes are equivalent to Ryan Homes in your mind. It is disingenuous to imply that Del Ray and North Ridge are suburban sprawl.

The post World War II bedroom suburbs were suburban sprawl then, and they haven't stopped being suburban sprawl just because the suburban sprawl now extends much further into the countryside. And they were built by the Ryan Homes of their time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Is it really NECESSARY to have multiple housing types in SFH areas when there are plenty of areas already zoned for multifamily or mixed use?

In what percent of Alexandria's land area is it legal to build housing that isn't a detached house in a yard?

Do you think the multifamily housing will infect the "SFH areas", and if so, with what disease?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Alexandria will never be suburban sprawl. What part of housing discussions in this country is guided by "necessity?" Why not just build Communist apartment buildings?

What's the difference between apartment buildings and Communist apartment buildings?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Failing schools, imploding commercial real estate, and murders are not quite enough to destroy Alexandria, so the Council is a freight train about to vote on Tuesday to eliminate all SFH zoning. Yay.

Hooray!

Don't worry, OP, they are not eliminating detached one-unit residential buildings. They are simply eliminating zoning that bans everything except detached one-unit residential buildings. Property owners - like you - will now have more options for your property.

This!

You know what pays for all the stuff you want, OP? Property tax dollars. From incremental smart development like the ones in this package of reforms.

You can keep your SFH but when you go to sell it, it may sell for more because there will be more options for what it can become, and that will lead to both more tax dollars and more residents as one large house becomes four smaller ones in some places, especially places that support transit. Win-win-win-win.

That’s not really how it works if there are any school-aged kids that move in since ACPS has an astronomic per pupil cost. So a SFH lot now has 8 school-aged kids to the two that previously lived there. Why would a childless person want to live in a quadplex in a once SFH neighborhood when they could live in Potomac Yard?

+1 they need to fix the schools for the existing population before they bring in even more students.
It actually does impact my property value even if I chose to keep a sfh. You can’t claim that my property value won’t go down if I am now wedged in between two four-plexes and everyone is battling for street parking?
The mayor has lost his mind as far as giving developers complete leeway. An example is a development in old town, on the historic part of king. A developer (with a bad reputation) was just able to buy out of the required parking ration for $43,000. This is in a building that will have about 40 condos, and he’s now not required to do parking. It’s on a main block of king st where there is already no parking. He’s being allowed to infill the existing parking behind the current building to create more units and less parking. The projected prices for these units will begin at $700 for a one bedroom, so this is hardly affordable housing. Most of the units are 2 bedrooms and yet there will be hardly any parking. Unfair to existing neighborhoods and just idiotic

Why would your property value go down? The REASON that you would be between two four-plexes is that there would be demand for them. If you sold you would just as easily get more for your sale than you otherwise would.

You clearly know NOTHING about residential real estate. It does not work like this - it really really doesn't. Just because you **think** it does, does not make it true.

So can you please explain then?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Your second point is off. Green space and rain filtration, fine, could be better but not worth arguing.

But lawns absolutely do NOT provide wildlife and plant habitat. They are practically devoid of life, and certainly devoid of native species.

That is a weird thing to say if you're from here. All of us in Del Ray would report regular sightings on a very healthy and diverse representation of appropriate wildlife. I have personally seen snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds, songbirds by the dozens. All within a 1/2 mile of Braddock Rd. Metro.

Backyards allow this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Your second point is off. Green space and rain filtration, fine, could be better but not worth arguing.

But lawns absolutely do NOT provide wildlife and plant habitat. They are practically devoid of life, and certainly devoid of native species.

That is a weird thing to say if you're from here. All of us in Del Ray would report regular sightings on a very healthy and diverse representation of appropriate wildlife. I have personally seen snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds, songbirds by the dozens. All within a 1/2 mile of Braddock Rd. Metro.

Backyards allow this.

Are the snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds living in your yard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Is it really NECESSARY to have multiple housing types in SFH areas when there are plenty of areas already zoned for multifamily or mixed use?

In what percent of Alexandria's land area is it legal to build housing that isn't a detached house in a yard?

Do you think the multifamily housing will infect the "SFH areas", and if so, with what disease?

Too many people in too small an area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Your second point is off. Green space and rain filtration, fine, could be better but not worth arguing.

But lawns absolutely do NOT provide wildlife and plant habitat. They are practically devoid of life, and certainly devoid of native species.

That is a weird thing to say if you're from here. All of us in Del Ray would report regular sightings on a very healthy and diverse representation of appropriate wildlife. I have personally seen snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds, songbirds by the dozens. All within a 1/2 mile of Braddock Rd. Metro.

Backyards allow this.

Are the snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds living in your yard?

Are the snakes, turtles, crayfish, minnows, deer, turkey, fox, otter, racoon, opossum, and gazillions of various birds living in your yard?

Yes to:

snakes
turtles
deer
turkey
fox
racoon
opossum
and all the birds.

You don't see this in the parking lot at Alexandria House.

Backyards breed habitat. Courtyards breed run off.

[Anonymous]

Does this mean granny flats allowed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Alexandria will never be suburban sprawl. What part of housing discussions in this country is guided by "necessity?" Why not just build Communist apartment buildings?

Eh? All those exclusively "SFH neighborhoods" in Alexandria are suburban sprawl. What do you think suburban sprawl is?

DP. Yes. Do you?

I guess those neighborhoods of 80ish year old homes are equivalent to Ryan Homes in your mind. It is disingenuous to imply that Del Ray and North Ridge are suburban sprawl.

You’re responding to the wrong person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is wrong with SFH neighborhoods that don’t burden schools and roads? They are a necessary counter to density, especially with the City’s massive infrastructure issues.

Why are they a necessary counter to density?

1. The same reason Giant sells 45 different flavors of Ice Cream. People like different things.

2. All these 'terrible' lawns we have provide green space, wildlife and plant habitat, and rain water filtration. Would you rather be in Roslyn or Charles Hill Park on a 95F day?

DP, btw.

Are those 45 flavors of Ice Cream necessary, though?

Which is better for the environment, a dense urban area surrounded by green space, or suburban sprawl that extends to the horizon and beyond?

Alexandria will never be suburban sprawl. What part of housing discussions in this country is guided by "necessity?" Why not just build Communist apartment buildings?

Eh? All those exclusively "SFH neighborhoods" in Alexandria are suburban sprawl. What do you think suburban sprawl is?

DP. Yes. Do you?

I guess those neighborhoods of 80ish year old homes are equivalent to Ryan Homes in your mind. It is disingenuous to imply that Del Ray and North Ridge are suburban sprawl.

The post World War II bedroom suburbs were suburban sprawl then, and they haven't stopped being suburban sprawl just because the suburban sprawl now extends much further into the countryside. And they were built by the Ryan Homes of their time.

Ok, got it. So Alx is not actual an urban area that requires more density as repeated by so many on counsel. It’s an actually a suburban area, which is defined by lower density. So let’s leave it that was, per your definition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does this mean granny flats allowed?

Yes. And that's reallly the true intent of most of the people backing the SFH zoning chnages. They want to built an ADU, not a fourplex.

[Anonymous]

Democrats sure know how to destroy things.

Appomattox (Johnny Reb statute is S.Washington) must be glad he got kicked out of town before Alexandria went from bad to worse.

[Anonymous]

It passed by unanimous vote.