How Atlanta Decided It Can’t Out Suburb the Suburbs

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

That's because most of the land is consumed by the footprint of the McMansion.

Oh, I don't think so. Many intown areas in Virginia-Highland, Buckhead, Morningside, etc. have less than 1/3 acre lots and they aren't swallowed up by "McMansions."

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by cqholt

That's because most of the land is consumed by the footprint of the McMansion.

How large must a house be to be a McMansion?

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

How large must a house be to be a McMansion?

Usually over 3,000 sq ft: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMansion

[bu2]

Originally Posted by AnsleyPark

How large must a house be to be a McMansion?

But not large enough to be a real mansion.

1/3 acre is roughly 100 X140, so around 14,000 square feet. The house is only going to take up a small part of that footprint.

[arjay57]

1/3 of an acre is a big lot.

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

1/3 of an acre is a big lot.

Yes, that's pretty good size. 50X100 (1/8 of an acre) is probably typical of a lot of intown neighborhoods. Atlanta does have a number of neighborhoods that have much larger lot sizes than the 50X100, but 1/3 acre is still big.

[Gulch]

Originally Posted by bu2

Yes, that's pretty good size. 50X100 (1/8 of an acre) is probably typical of a lot of intown neighborhoods. Atlanta does have a number of neighborhoods that have much larger lot sizes than the 50X100, but 1/3 acre is still big.

Basically 1/3 of an acre is the equivalent of two lots in the Midtown SFH district.

[cqholt]

Originally Posted by Gulch

Basically 1/3 of an acre is the equivalent of two lots in the Midtown SFH district.

There is no way my lot is 2X the size of a SFH lot in Midtown. Maybe DeKalb County is appraising it incorrectly.

[AnsleyPark]

Originally Posted by arjay57

1/3 of an acre is a big lot.

That's so funny - I grew up on a farm with hundreds of acres. Lots of ER as a kid. Something I sometimes regret my children did not grow up with.

[fzx]

Originally Posted by Big L

Some of us still believe in public schools in the long run, especially since our taxes already pay for them. On top of that, the potential savings from living in a "cheap" area may not always outweigh any other potential issues that may come out either for the family as a whole or the child themselves. Aside from that, if you are indeed the type to want to put your children in an elite private school, wouldn't you want them in a neighborhood where they are potentially surrounded by like-minded students and families?


Hypothetically speaking, let's say that you move to a very cheap area. I'll use 30273 in Clayton and 30034 in DeKalb as examples (dirt cheap houses with terrible schools). I can almost guarantee the following:


1. Your child will more than likely be shunned by the other kids in their neighborhood because they are "that one private school kid". Since children are impressionable, that could lead them to act out and take on bad habits and actions to fit in. That of course would nullify part of the purpose of sending them to private school. They could still potentially act out as a public school student, but that wouldn't be after you have spent thousands of dollars in tuition.


2. You probably won't make many friends at the HOA meetings since most would assume that you think you are better than them since you won't send your kid to Morrow HS or Cedar Grove HS like they do. On the flipside, you probably also won't make many friends at the private school's PTA meetings since most would assume that you aren't on their level because of where you live.


3. You are stuck with the house after your child graduates since resale value is often tied in to the local public schools.

I cannot agree with you more. Purchasing a primary residence is not a pure financial decision. Kids need to grow up with friends and parents should lead the role by fitting in.