Reply to Is there a coherent argument that loosening zoning laws will lead to affordable housing in DC?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]

A few observations:

1. Obviously a 600 square foot condo costs less than a 2000 square foot house, because [b]living in a 600 square foot condo *sucks* compared to living in a 2000 square foot house. 
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2. Those condos may be cheaper than a SFH but they still aren't remotely affordable. The price per square foot is off the charts. We regularly see ones go up that cost $1 million. (That in turn is pushing up the price of SFHs. The value of my house has doubled in five years. So, thank you, density people -- you're making single-family homes a lot more valuable).

3. Single-family homes and condos appeal to very different demographic groups. Simply put, people with children don't want to live in glorified dorms. If you replace SFHs with condos, you're pushing out people with children to make way for childless adults.  DC is already hostile to parents. I don't know why we want to give parents yet another reason to leave for the suburbs. 
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That's silly, PP. Different people, in different circumstances, like different things. As you yourself say.

[b]And if these condos aren't even remotely affordable - that's because PEOPLE WANT THEM. Demand for them exceeds supply.[/b][/quote]

This is why adding to the housing supply in DC will never result in affordable housing. Demand will always exceed supply. [/quote]

[b]No, that's why we need a LOT more housing[/b], and why part of building more housing in Ward 3 should also include building large amounts of high-quality public housing, instead of just mandating affordable units alongside new market-rate ones.[/quote]

Washington D.C. is like New York City or San Francisco in that the number of people who want to live here far exceeds the number of housing units that could ever conceivably be built. That's why adding to the housing supply doesn't reduce housing prices. It just makes the city more crowded. [/quote]

In fact SF builds very little new housing, and even NYC has some significant zoning limits.

NYC also has a much larger employment base than DC has.

Plenty of suburbanites work in the suburbs and will never want to live in DC.  Quite a few who do work in DC will never want to live in DC. And unlike NYC, DC is not attractive to trust fund kids.

So I do not think you are at all correct.[/quote]

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