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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]At the end of the day, no middle class families are moving into 4-plexes. Like everyone else, they want a SFH, not some lame townhouse with zero parking.

Adding density just brings in more young people, mostly those that used to live in DC but now want a bigger place to support WFH. [/quote]

Yep.

And its fine to debate the merits of increasing the density, but its insulting to suggest families are going to be buying these 750k duplexes or condos.   It will be young yuppies.   Lets at least ne honest about that.[/quote]

Middle-class families aren't going to move into unaffordable fourplexes, they are going to hold out for even more unaffordable detached houses?

But also those fourplexes are going to be loud because of all of the families living in them?[/quote]

No... they are going to get their SFH where they can afford to!  Like always. [/quote]

No they don't always!  What are you talking about?  Many, many families around here live in townhouses or condos!  Get out of your bubble.[/quote]

Yes, yes they do.

But not at those price points.

I lived with my family in a townhouse too.   It wasnt 750k.

The people, with families,  paying 750k do not choose multi family. [/quote]

PP here.  In fact, I do live in a $800k townhouse in Arlington!  Why?  Because I couldn't afford a SFH in Arlington and yet I wanted to stay close in and didn't want to commute from an hour away.  I certainly consider myself middle class.  I don't know why this is unbelievable to you.[/quote]

I'm glad that works for you.

I can't afford an 800k house, and if I could I would make a different choice, but good for you. [/quote]

That is exactly the point.  Someone is claiming that families won't buy missing middle housing because it will be so expensive that if they have that much money, they will choose a SFH farther away.

I'm here to say there are plenty of families like me who will pay that much to stay closer in!  Everybody makes different choices.  [/quote]

No there is not. We lived as a family in a set of townhomes -- 40% were rich DINKs, 50% were group rental homes, 10% were families (ie us and a couple with a baby who were likely to move by the time the kid is walking).

Missing middle is all about increasing rental market supply.[/quote]

Most households aren't families. To begin with, 28% of households are single-person households. Another 35% of households have 2 people. Among households that are families, only 40% have their own children under 18 living at home.

Is there something wrong with increasing rental market supply?[/quote]

I thought a big part of missing middle was to help people priced out afford to buy in the county because the current housing is unaffordable to most buyers. Creating more landlords doesn’t necessarily seem like a worthwhile venture.[/quote]

How about, afford to LIVE in the county? Creating more housing people can rent doesn't seem like a worthwhile venture? [/quote]

But isn’t that already being done with large apartment buildings all over the county? Isn’t the old Ballston Macy’s becoming more apartments? It just doesn’t feel like there is a dearth of rentals in the county.

And this website https://www.missingmiddlearlington.net/insights/key-takeaways-from-the-county-board-work-session-on-missing-middle-housing specifically addresses increasing purchasing power for moderate income purchasers, but let’s be real, how will they compete with landlords who want to come scoop up and entire multiplex. There’s going to be a lot of money generated from upcoming and I’m not sure it will do much to help the people already struggling to buy a home here.

It may allow more opportunities to rent deeper into the suburban part of the county so there is that I guess.[/quote]

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