Why doesn't Montgomery County rezone Commercial Property to Housing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Plenty of residential areas that could benefit from more housing also exist. So, why not both?

Why change residential areas when you do not need to change them?

Why assume that residential areas should remain unchanged?

Because I like where I live and don’t want it all jammed full of people?

1. Too bad.
2. This is the literal definition of a NIMBY.
3. To answer your question, because a thriving commercial zone is absolutely essential for the county's tax base.

And a county that attracts and retains upper income taxpayers is essential for a county's tax base.

[Anonymous]

They should be doing the opposite. The county is so anti-business that it's driving employers away. Not all jobs can be WFH, and the result is MoCo residents have to commute outside the county to get to work.

When you end up converting commercial to residential, it usually means you failed. Look at Rock Spring just next to Montomery Mall (Home Depot side). The car dealership (now Geico collision center) will convert to housing. The plots of land just over teh overpass (across from Marriot HQ) now have townhouses -- because they couldn't make commercial work.

All these new residents need commercial services. All these new residents need to be employed and often go to work. Where is this going to happen if we get rid of all the commercial space? MoCo is already a "bedroom' community enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing the opposite. The county is so anti-business that it's driving employers away. Not all jobs can be WFH, and the result is MoCo residents have to commute outside the county to get to work.

When you end up converting commercial to residential, it usually means you failed. Look at Rock Spring just next to Montomery Mall (Home Depot side). The car dealership (now Geico collision center) will convert to housing. The plots of land just over teh overpass (across from Marriot HQ) now have townhouses -- because they couldn't make commercial work.

All these new residents need commercial services. All these new residents need to be employed and often go to work. Where is this going to happen if we get rid of all the commercial space? MoCo is already a "bedroom' community enough.

Eh. Rock Spring doesn't mean Montgomery County has failed. It means businesses don't want to set up in that kind of car-dependent, middle-of-nowhere, office-park location anymore. Similarly, Lakeforest Mall going under doesn't mean Montgomery County has failed. It means nobody wants enclosed malls anymore.

Now, what if we allowed mixed commercial/residential use in areas/locations where businesses do want to set up? And denser housing nearby,

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is a huge portion of the Pike that is underutilized. There is simply no way that the Pike needs that much retail space. And office space will never be the same, even if it comes back partially.

Any proposal for Rockville Pike will be for mixed commercial/residential, and people in solely-residential neighborhoods will oppose that too.

[Anonymous]

Y’all want them to build more residential areas???

It’s already crowded and dense on MOCO

Why done the state/county bring in more middle class level jobs. Too many Marylanders going to work in dc and nova. I lived in both so I know

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Y’all want them to build more residential areas???

It’s already crowded and dense on MOCO

Why done the state/county bring in more middle class level jobs. Too many Marylanders going to work in dc and nova. I lived in both so I know

Compared to what?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They should be doing the opposite. The county is so anti-business that it's driving employers away. Not all jobs can be WFH, and the result is MoCo residents have to commute outside the county to get to work.

When you end up converting commercial to residential, it usually means you failed. Look at Rock Spring just next to Montomery Mall (Home Depot side). The car dealership (now Geico collision center) will convert to housing. The plots of land just over teh overpass (across from Marriot HQ) now have townhouses -- because they couldn't make commercial work.

All these new residents need commercial services. All these new residents need to be employed and often go to work. Where is this going to happen if we get rid of all the commercial space? MoCo is already a "bedroom' community enough.

MoCo will always be a bedroom community to some extent.

[Anonymous]

What are the numbers from the general population of prospective home buyers for duplexes and/or quadplexes?

I've done a few quick searches and found close to nothing about the demand or interest in buying multiplex housing, so other than a loud, niche group, who else is screaming to buy these housing units?

I mean, I used to live in one back in college. They weren't called duplexes back then. We called them Knox boxes. At no point when I lived there, did I think, "Hey, this is so great. I think I should like like this 10, 20, maybe even 30 years!"

What bothers me the most about the screams for multiplex housing is that they tend to target historic areas, as if there were not any other places to build these things. "I want to live in Takoma Park, but I can't afford it, so demo that 1895 Victorian home and build me a multiplex in its place!!"

"Hey, there are some more affordable options in Mount Rainer."

"No! Did I say that I wanted to live in PG? Demo now!!"

Once building decisions are made, they can't be undone. You don't know what you've got til it's gone. Put up a multiplex.

Meanwhile, the builders and real estate agents are busy counting their cash while sitting in their 5 bedroom, single family homes.

[Anonymous]

PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

And neither is the proposed middle housing proposal. Go rezone commercial property. There is plenty of underutilized land on the Pike.

[Anonymous]

Again why are they again building more residential areas?

Why? You want more traffic? Less jobs? For 25 years MOCO has stifled their economy, so many people now and not enough jobs. Why can’t we have a technology corridor like NOVA?

So much congestion already


Off topic— why is there only one WALMART in MOCO? How about putting a Capital Grille in Gaithersburg? How about more amenities? More jobs? Please
How about selling liquor in groceries ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

And neither is the proposed middle housing proposal. Go rezone commercial property. There is plenty of underutilized land on the Pike.

Any proposal for commercial development on Rockville Pike, especially Rockville Pike near Metro stations, will also include residential development.

Allowing property owners to build multi-family housing near Metro stations is a coherent housing policy AND a defensible housing policy, except for people who currently live near Metro stations and don't want duplex-living people as neighbors.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

And neither is the proposed middle housing proposal. Go rezone commercial property. There is plenty of underutilized land on the Pike.

Residents of single-family-detached-house neighborhoods also oppose building more housing on Rockville Pike.

https://bethesdamagazine.com/bethesda-beat/development/twinbrook-quarter-development-with-wegmans-approved-in-rockville/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

And neither is the proposed middle housing proposal. Go rezone commercial property. There is plenty of underutilized land on the Pike.

Any proposal for commercial development on Rockville Pike, especially Rockville Pike near Metro stations, will also include residential development.

Allowing property owners to build multi-family housing near Metro stations is a coherent housing policy AND a defensible housing policy, except for people who currently live near Metro stations and don't want duplex-living people as neighbors.

And why do you want to destroy neighborhoods whose residents do not want duplex homes. Not interested. Again, there is plenty of land elsewhere, even land near Metro.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PP, google "missing middle housing" and start reading.

Also, "go live somewhere else where the housing costs are cheaper" is really not a very coherent or defensible housing policy.

And neither is the proposed middle housing proposal. Go rezone commercial property. There is plenty of underutilized land on the Pike.

Any proposal for commercial development on Rockville Pike, especially Rockville Pike near Metro stations, will also include residential development.

Allowing property owners to build multi-family housing near Metro stations is a coherent housing policy AND a defensible housing policy, except for people who currently live near Metro stations and don't want duplex-living people as neighbors.

And why do you want to destroy neighborhoods whose residents do not want duplex homes. Not interested. Again, there is plenty of land elsewhere, even land near Metro.

Why do you believe that duplexes "destroy neighborhoods", like Godzilla or something?