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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][quote=Anonymous]If we limit housing options that aren’t $2M+ new builds, people cry that the county is losing families with young kids. But if we support new housing, including multi-family dwellings, people cry that the schools will be overcrowded. Which is it? There are ways to make it easier for families with young kids to live in Arlington county, but residents fight it any chance they get.

Let’s say the quiet part out loud. What many residents want are families that can afford $2M+ houses and young adults living in condos or apartments who pay taxes but don’t have kids. I suppose families with young kids crowded into apartments in South Arlington are ok as long as people north of Langston Blvd. don’t have to think about them. [/quote]

The young families are leaving for single family homes with yards. Neither the $2M new builds or the missing middle six family units will change that [/quote]
Totally agree.  Missing middle isn't going to help keep young families in Arlington. They don't want to live in a 6-plex 2 bedroom condo with no yard and not enough parking for $1.5m.  They'll go to Fairfax for a SFH.[/quote]

Most MM won’t be 6-plex. MANY families live in THs/duplexes.

Move this thread to political. Or delete it. Too much misinformation. [/quote]
Only 15% of approved MM permits are for duplexes, while about 50% of permits are for 4-6 unit buildings with the most of those being 6 units.

Overall, the greatest number of MM permits are for 6 unit buildings (about 37%).[/quote]

[b]Most of the approved (and pending) projects are duplex/THs/semi-detached. [/b]
https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Programs/Building/Permits/EHO/Tracker

There are a limited number of large lots so as time goes on the average # units/building will go down. 
[/quote]
WRONG.  The percentages I posted are taken from the approved permits on the county site that you linked.  Only 15% of approved permits are for duplexes.  About 50% of permits are for 4-6 plexes.[/quote]

I'm right. Look at the link.

There are 14 duplex/TH/semi-detached approved projects. And 13 MF (10 6-plex). 14 > 13

10 D/T/S are proposed and 8 MF. 10 > 8

I'll be waiting patiently for your apology.  :lol: [/quote]
I'm not wrong.  Five out of 27 approved permits are for duplexes.  Thirteen out of 27 approved projects are for 4-6 plexes.  [/quote]

OK. And there are also townhouses and semi-detached homes...

First, I said [i]"Most MM won’t be 6-plex. MANY families live in THs/duplexes."[/i]

Then, I said: [i]"Most of the approved (and pending) projects are duplex/THs/semi-detached." [/i]

Both are 100% accurate according to the tracker.

14 > 13 approved
10 > 8 under review

Patiently waiting here... 
[/quote]The largest category of housing being built under MM is a 6 unit multi family building.  That's the single most popular option.[/quote]

A plurality isn’t a majority.

Again: 
>Many families live in THs/duplexes.
>Most MM won’t be 6-plex. 
>Most of the approved (and pending) projects are duplex/THs/semi-detached. 
[/quote]You're lumping together 3-plexes with duplexes.  I have serious doubts that young families are going to want to live in what MM is calling a 3 unit townhouse.  The lots for these are tiny with no yards and aren't what people think of as a typical townhouse in Arlington.  Families will choose Fairfax over these.

Be as pedantic as you want, but the vast majority of MM housing isnt anything a family would choose.  [/quote]

You’re mad because you misread what I wrote. I very clearly said THs/duplexes from the start.

Families all over the world, and even right here in Arlington, live in smaller THs/duplexes. 
[/quote]

Yes, families all over the world live in smaller housing then in the US. A decent percentage of the US populations live in apartment buildings and condos but a higher percentage of people in the US live in larger single family housing, or want to, because that is a part of the American Dream. There is more space in the US then on most other countries. There has been a different idea of what housing should be and what space that we want to have. While the idea might be unique, it is pretty normal for a family to want a bedroom for every child and a yard to play in. People tolerate smaller places when they are younger or have a younger family but as the family grows, they want more space. Arguing that families will eventually suck it up and settle for living in a duplex or 6 plex or whatever because that happens in Europe or Asia or other parts of the world doesn't hold water because that is not the American experience.

Everyone I know who started living in NY City or DC or LA moved to the burbs once their kids were nearing ES because they decided that the confined space of their apartment or condo or townhouse wasn't working for them and they wanted more space. More space was available and they could afford it and they could afford the associated costs (longer commute) so they moved. The people who stayed were the people who could not afford the associated costs or they made enough that they could move to a larger apartment or condo in the city so everyone had more space even if they didn't have the yard.

We looked to buy in Arlington 15 years ago and realized that we could afford a house that needed massive remodeling in Arlington or we could buy a far larger house with a better backyard that required no work in a school boundary that offered an immersion language program for our future kids. And the house was under our budget. We bought in Fairfax County and didn't look back. [/quote]

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