Reply to Removal of development cap in downtown Bethesda

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I do actually want to turn Bethesda into Paris and raze all detached SFH. the fact that there are detached SFH so close to DC and density starts just by pike and Rose is criminal urban planning. Just purely captured by the rich[/quote]
You apparently don't understand a lot of things. First that Bethesda is not a central city. And second, the density in the outskirts of Paris has lots of detached SFHs.

Like you have literally no idea what you’re talking about. [/quote]

We're talking about the parts of Paris close to the center that are moderately tall...
Haussman scale. Six stories.

Not the distant Shady Grove type parts of Paris or La Defense.

The part that everyone likes and wants to visit.[/quote]
You seem confused about geography. La Defense is the Rosslyn/Tysons of Paris. Everything that right outside the Periph, including Neuilly, Saint-Denis, etc are about the same distance from central Paris as downtown Bethesda is to the Capitol building. It is not hard to just go to Google Maps and look at these places. What you will see is basically the same built environment as Bethesda, Silver Spring, etc. Lots of park apartments with big parking lots near transit and lots of attached and detached SFHs with yards.

It disturbs me that the whole planning/urbanist push is based on false understandings of places you are trying to emulate.[/quote]

PP. I'm not confused about geography.  What I am saying is that I would prefer Bethesda to look like central Paris or low-skyline center cities and not sk*scraper clusters.  It  doesn't matter how dense the analogous 15 miles from central Paris neighborhoods are. I don't have my own math on what the density should be, just a hope for what it could look like.  Wealthy areas can suboptimize density for aesthetics.  Clearly that is a choice.  So I don't think I have false understandings.  Just preferences.

I am not a city planner or an urbanist.  I am a consumer of residential space with experience living in 14 story apartments, townhouses, and 3-5 bedroom SFH's talking about what kind of town looks good and has a nice vibe vs. a jumble of tall ugly mirrorred glass buildings. I'm not even anti-sk*scraper or tall building.  I previously said I lived in a tall building at Grosvenor and it was nice looking, convenient to Metro, and had attractive green space.

Whoever you are, you've gone way too deep into critiquing my Paris analogies and complaining about planning terminology. So what are your ideas and analogies for a better-looking, better-functioning Bethesda?

I literally can't even afford to own a house there but I once wanted to so badly that I shaped my life choices around that dream.  That's the reason I even bother with this thread.  You lucky people who can afford to live there are botching the job as planners, businesspeople, and citizens.  [b]Things shouldn't get worse over 30 years in a wealthy area![/b][/quote]

But things aren't getting worse. What you're saying is, "I don't like it as much." That's fine, you get to have your own preferences, but it's not the same thing.[/quote]

Go find me the articles praising the architecture of the downtown Bethesda corridor on Rockville Pike.  It's not just my preferences. Did you read the Reddit I linked?  I spent some time searching and couldn't find compliments about the look of the business district.  The things you can do there were complimented but not the aesthetics.

Read people complaining about local traffic on the street grid.  Yes, I'll say the sightlines along roads have gotten worse to me.  Which partly ties to tall blocky buildings very close to the street.  My opinion is somewhat of a preference but could also be researched with data on how far ahead one can look while driving.  It's not at all the same kind of preference as saying I wish all the buildings were faced with pastel stucco.[/quote]

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