Houston zoning? (Austin, Galveston, Pearland: hotel, prices, beach)

[randian]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

Since Houston looks more or less like any other American city, the whole zoning thing just seems like a colossal waste of tax money.

That's because you've forgotten the purposes of zoning. They are not beautification, because as you note zoning hardly causes that. They are two:

1) Giving politicians power and patronage through their ability to extort concessions from developers.
2) Giving neighborhood busybodies for free what they should by rights pay for: the right to tell others what to do with their property.

Many people, unfortunately, think that's a good way to spend tax money.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by randian

That's because you've forgotten the purposes of zoning. They are not beautification, because as you note zoning hardly causes that. They are two:

1) Giving politicians power and patronage through their ability to extort concessions from developers.
2) Giving neighborhood busybodies for free what they should by rights pay for: the right to tell others what to do with their property.

Many people, unfortunately, think that's a good way to spend tax money.

well said.

[randian]

Originally Posted by Newsboy

I don't see how that investment -- the biggest one most Americans will make in their lives -- is protected and / or guaranteed to appreciate in Houston, where the lack of zoning keeps land and housing costs "cheap."

It's not the city's, or any government's, job to guarantee your investments will appreciate.

What strict zoning does is make land expensive through rationing without increasing its value. Moreover, it makes prices very volatile, very sensitive to tiny changes in demand, and as prone to huge crashes as big booms.

[HtownLove]

Originally Posted by randian

It's not the city's, or any government's, job to guarantee your investments will appreciate.

What strict zoning does is make land expensive through rationing without increasing its value. Moreover, it makes prices very volatile, very sensitive to tiny changes in demand, and as prone to huge crashes as big booms.

another excellent post, its a shame it won't let me give you more rep

[jimmyev]

Originally Posted by randian

It's not the city's, or any government's, job to guarantee your investments will appreciate.

What strict zoning does is make land expensive through rationing without increasing its value. Moreover, it makes prices very volatile, very sensitive to tiny changes in demand, and as prone to huge crashes as big booms.

Zoning doesn't do this either. Detroit and Cleveland housing values are in free-fall. And they're heavily zoned cities.

The only thing that Zoning does is give Americans what they love - a security blanket that makes them feel good but doesn't really protect them from anything. Kind of like airport security. Then everyone can act stunned and dumbfounded when the bottom falls out of the local economy and their housing values plummet. Plus they can blame the government for 'bad' zoning instead of their own stupid decisions.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Scarface713

Houston doesn't look cheap.

Originally Posted by A&M Bulldawg

Houston doesn't look cheap and dirty. It actually looks like it has high high density.

LMAO You folks obviously haven't been outside Houston much. Houston has a lot of great things going for it, but beauty and aesthetics isn't one of them.

[AlGreen]

Originally Posted by Spade

I get frustrated with Houston sometimes though. One minute they want to become a world class metropolis with many amenities and the next minute they want to remain a slow southern town on the Bayou. No Zoning is a problem for me but lack of basic infrastructure is the bigger problem. Houston in many areas remind me of Jackson or Monroe, Louisiana instead of a major metropolitan city. I dislike any neighborhood with no sidewalk. I dislike any neighborhood that has ditches instead of curbs. That type of development is fine for a city of 30,000 or Houston in 1920. It isn't fine for a city of 2.3 million.

this is pretty much true. the whole charm of a neighborhood can be ruined by those ditches

[randian]

Originally Posted by jimmyev

Zoning doesn't do this either. Detroit and Cleveland housing values are in free-fall. And they're heavily zoned cities.

Did you fail to read the whole sentence? I said "Zoning ... makes prices very volatile, very sensitive to tiny changes in demand, and as prone to huge crashes as big booms". I believe "huge crash" accurately describes Detroit and Cleveland. Just because zoning undersupplies land in times of normal demand doesn't mean that it can prop up land prices when entire cities are being abandoned. If you look at home prices from the last 5 years, you will see that the highest volatility occurs in places where land use controls are most strictly applied: California, Florida, Nevada, and parts of the Northeast.

[usc619]

Originally Posted by Spade

One minute they want to become a world class metropolis with many amenities and the next minute they want to remain a slow southern town on the Bayou. No Zoning is a problem for me but lack of basic infrastructure is the bigger problem.

rep+1

[Trae713]

Originally Posted by usc619

LMAO You folks obviously haven't been outside Houston much. Houston has a lot of great things going for it, but beauty and aesthetics isn't one of them.

I haven't been outside of Houston much? Do you know me? ...Yeah, that's why I thought. Houston doesn't look cheap. Maybe some of the unincorporated areas, though.

Originally Posted by AlGreen

this is pretty much true. the whole charm of a neighborhood can be ruined by those ditches

What ditches are you all talking about? I've only seen this in the more rural areas of Houston or those "country" style neighborhoods you see. There are obviously going to be bayous and ditches behind the neighborhoods though.