Stapleton Snobby or Exclusionary?? (renters, townhomes, neighborhood)

[pegaries]

I think this issue is about more then just me and my neighbors. It's about the fact that we are unable to engage in a simple chat without first determining status, worth etc. I just find this tiresome sometimes. That's all I have to say on the subject.

[mic111]

Originally Posted by pegaries

I live in Stapleton and consider myself to be a friendly neighbor. I enjoy chatting with neighbors while walking my dog - admiring their flowers and talking about plants and landscaping, etc. Conversation usually turns to "where do you live?". When I tell them I live in the 29th Street Row Homes - they immediately turn to "Ice" and become downright rude. Where is this coming from? I have read that "snobs" are usually insecure or feel "threatened". I don't know about this but I know that it is hurtful. It feels like they are trying to isolate us but it appears they are only isolating themselves. We are not deadbeat people - most of us are professionals. I just don't get it!

Somewhere along this thread it said you live in subsidized housing. If so, and if you are a professional I think the attitude your encountering is resentment for paying for your house. I don't think the people you are encountering are snobs or feel threatened. They are just resentful that they had to pay more for their houses to subsidize your lower house price.

I myself, while not a fan of things like section 8, know that there are people genuinely in need for real reasons so don't get too worked up about it as it is pretty removed from my personal experiences and being a federal large program very abstract and paid for with my general taxes. In my neighborhood everyone paid their own way so again section 8 or subsidized housing is pretty removed.

But I ask myself, what if my house price was jacked up to create super nice houses for professionals to be subsidized when in fact they should be in a starter fixer just like I was when I started out or didn't have the means for a super nice house? I'd probably be resentful.

So what to do about it from your perspective? I think there isn't much you can do but bear with it if you decide to continue to reveal that you live in subsidized housing. Otherwise obscure where you live until you know someone well enough that they will be more embarrassed to freeze you out when they find out. The fact is that you didn't create the program, you are just a beneficiary of it so it isn't really your fault that someone thinks this is a good idea.

It may help to put yourself in their shoes. Try imagining someone jacking up your house payment by $250/ month and saying it was a required contribution to another household in the neighborhood. Wouldn't you be resentful if you ran into that household and they just bought a new car or had gone on vacation? What if you saw them out walking their dog every day while you were running off to a second job in order to make the extra $250 per month to pay for their house?

[emm74]

Originally Posted by mic111

Somewhere along this thread it said you live in subsidized housing. If so, and if you are a professional I think the attitude your encountering is resentment for paying for your house. I don't think the people you are encountering are snobs or feel threatened. They are just resentful that they had to pay more for their houses to subsidize your lower house price.

I myself, while not a fan of things like section 8, know that there are people genuinely in need for real reasons so don't get too worked up about it as it is pretty removed from my personal experiences and being a federal large program very abstract and paid for with my general taxes. In my neighborhood everyone paid their own way so again section 8 or subsidized housing is pretty removed.

But I ask myself, what if my house price was jacked up to create super nice houses for professionals to be subsidized when in fact they should be in a starter fixer just like I was when I started out or didn't have the means for a super nice house? I'd probably be resentful.

So what to do about it from your perspective? I think there isn't much you can do but bear with it if you decide to continue to reveal that you live in subsidized housing. Otherwise obscure where you live until you know someone well enough that they will be more embarrassed to freeze you out when they find out. The fact is that you didn't create the program, you are just a beneficiary of it so it isn't really your fault that someone thinks this is a good idea.

It may help to put yourself in their shoes. Try imagining someone jacking up your house payment by $250/ month and saying it was a required contribution to another household in the neighborhood. Wouldn't you be resentful if you ran into that household and they just bought a new car or had gone on vacation? What if you saw them out walking their dog every day while you were running off to a second job in order to make the extra $250 per month to pay for their house?

This is not how it works. Housing is "income qualified" - not subsidized. Other homeowners pay market value for their homes, it has nothing to do with the prices of the income qualified homes. More info here
http://www.stapletondenver.com/wp-co...uestions_0.pdf

OP, I'm still surprised you experienced this, it's not the norm from what I've seen. Hopefully it was one bad experience with one particular person.

[mic111]

Income qualified is still subsidized. The city often requires it, the builder has to comply or they don't get approved for the whole development. They aren't getting the profit on those units so they build the profit in elsewhere. Sometimes govt programs are paying for it (which means you and I). In the end everyone pays more to subsidize the income qualified houses.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by pegaries

Thank you, emm74. I think I might have figured it out. I think the caste system is alive & well here in Stapleton. I think it depends on how big/expensive your house is. I was not aware of this as I've always lived in neighborhoods where houses cost about the same. What a strange concept for a neighborhood. Since my little Row Home is in the lowest range I may never make any friends here. I may rethink if I want to stay much longer. I am not a fan of King Soopers but I am glad they moved the gas station.

That's strange. We live in a house in Eastbridge (an average size for a single family home) and down the street are condos on MLK. We have made friends with a few condo dwellers and like that they attract younger people. Mostly we know the condo residents who have dogs, since they walk their dogs down to the park by our house. The thing I've noticed is that the people in the million dollar homes on Clinton and Beeler definitely keep to themselves. Hopefully you just met a few jerks... but then I do remember some "snobiness" toward people who live in the KB homes (the smallest single family homes in our neighborhood) and I was put off by that attitude.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by pegaries

AND another thing....(sorry I was hurt but now I'm just angry) I want to say a few more things about what has happened to me and I will try and let it go.

To the high end neighbors- you know who you are. Your rudeness and snobby attitude was childish and totally uncalled for. What goes around, comes around! My dog and I will walk somewhere else! I want to say that I really like my little home and I am not ashamed of it. It is well built and nicely maintained. We have nice landscaping which is well maintained.

Speaking of landscaping, there is one high end neighbor who never takes care of his yard. Year after year there are tall weeds, dead shrubs and dead trees. The grass is hardly ever mowed. Believe me, we would not get away with that over here on 29th drive!

So, take that!

Yeah, I've seen a few Stapleton houses where they just pretend like the outside of their house doesn't exist and leave the landscaping to deteriorate year after year. Really. These people live in houses that are worth a half mil to a million and can't take care of, or pay someone to take care of the little lawn??? We have a house a block from ours like this and in 10 years, they've never pulled a week or done anything to the lawn other than he hacks the weeds down to the dirt twice a summer. People like this are why annoying HOAs exist! And then we have renters next door (owners are overseas for a few years) who refuse to mow the lawn. Now I have to do it because I don't want to live next to an eyesore.

[emm74]

I think the most exclusionary thing I've seen is parent vs. non-parent. I know I've even posted here saying that I couldn't see a single, young professional wanting to move into Stapleton. A couple planning a family in the next few years is fine, but it's definitely not where I would have chosen if I didn't have a kid.

[SkyDog77]

Originally Posted by denverian

Yeah, I've seen a few Stapleton houses where they just pretend like the outside of their house doesn't exist and leave the landscaping to deteriorate year after year. Really. These people live in houses that are worth a half mil to a million and can't take care of, or pay someone to take care of the little lawn??? We have a house a block from ours like this and in 10 years, they've never pulled a week or done anything to the lawn other than he hacks the weeds down to the dirt twice a summer. People like this are why annoying HOAs exist! And then we have renters next door (owners are overseas for a few years) who refuse to mow the lawn. Now I have to do it because I don't want to live next to an eyesore.

If the lawn gets to be taller than 6", you can call the city.

https://www.denvergov.org/developmen...0/Default.aspx

[denverian]

Originally Posted by emm74

I think the most exclusionary thing I've seen is parent vs. non-parent. I know I've even posted here saying that I couldn't see a single, young professional wanting to move into Stapleton. A couple planning a family in the next few years is fine, but it's definitely not where I would have chosen if I didn't have a kid.

That sounds accurate. I know a few gay couples who moved out because they felt left out, or annoyed by all the kids. But then we've had gay couples move in who have kids.

[denverian]

Originally Posted by SkyDog77

If the lawn gets to be taller than 6", you can call the city.

https://www.denvergov.org/developmen...0/Default.aspx

Yeah, I know about that. Rather than start a "think" with the people next door, I just mow it and grumble under my breath. It only takes a couple minutes to do.