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I just want to say, as usual, a lot of misinformation about suburbs here. It is untrue that burbs are zoned only for large, single family houses. Every suburb I have ever seen has apartments, small houses and larger houses. Every one.
There were none in my town growing up. Absolutely none. One of my friend's parents built an apartment for his grandma in their basement once she got to old to take care of herself, but they had to do it on the down low because it was technically against zoning in our town.
There were none in my town growing up. Absolutely none. One of my friend's parents built an apartment for his grandma in their basement once she got to old to take care of herself, but they had to do it on the down low because it was technically against zoning in our town.
Times have changed, and not all communities were like that "back then", either.
I don't think towns have changed their zoning codes much in the last 10-15 years. You did say every suburb not most.
Some Long Island communities have strict rules against subdividing housing. Did 10 years ago, doubt it has changed.
So it's all right for the anti-suburb people to say all suburbs but not someone defending the burbs? And I said every one I have seen. I have not spent much time on Long Island or in CT.
My city makes zoning changes at nearly every council meeting. I used to read the minutes. Most are minor, but still.
To be perfectly clear: I, for one, did not say that EVERY suburb was zoned for only single-family homes. But SOME are, and those are the ones that I was talking about (and why when I talk about suburbs I try to be specific about what type of specific suburb.) I'm sure most of us are familiar with examples of such suburbs in our own metro areas. You know the ones I'm talking about (or at least if you've spent much time in different types of suburbs and cities then you do) -- they have big lot requirements and minimum house size requirements and restrictive zoning.
I have never lived in such a place and would never willingly do so, but that does not mean that they do not exist. I've even encountered one suburb that is entirely gated with no public access. Not just one subdivision -- the whole entire place (although I think that is fairly unusual).
To be perfectly clear: I, for one, did not say that EVERY suburb was zoned for only single-family homes. But SOME are, and those are the ones that I was talking about (and why when I talk about suburbs I try to be specific about what type of specific suburb.) I'm sure most of us are familiar with examples of such suburbs in our own metro areas. You know the ones I'm talking about (or at least if you've spent much time in different types of suburbs and cities then you do) -- they have big lot requirements and minimum house size requirements and restrictive zoning.
I have never lived in such a place and would never willingly do so, but that does not mean that they do not exist. I've even encountered one suburb that is entirely gated with no public access. Not just one subdivision -- the whole entire place (although I think that is fairly unusual).
It wasn't you I was referring to. We've had this discussion before. In fact, I think we just discussed it in the past week or so. Posters come on here and say "suburbs this", "suburbs that" and when the few of us who don't bash suburbs take exception to that kind of talk, we're told it's just a figure of speech, so to speak.
Anyway, I guess I've lived in and visited some pretty low-class places; I have never seen whole suburbs such as you describe. Care to say which city this was?
I haven't either, but I'm pretty sure some wealthy Long Island suburbs are, especially beach suburbs. Usually they're fairly small.
Nassau County NY is mostly small lot sizes (4000 - 8000 sf, maybe a number at 1/4 acre) but some communities are almost entirely multi acre.
It depends on what you're defining as "suburb" (heh.) In a large suburban city with a population of 100,000, yes, there will certainly be apartments. But in, say, a particular gated subdivision within that suburb, there may not be any apartments at all--but an unfilled need for apartment housing. You can tell if there is a need or not because of the adaptive response--people turning them into ersatz multi-unit housing. Case in point:
Merced then found itself on the one hand with too many homes and no buyers who could afford them. On the other hand, UC Merced offers only 1,600 dorms though enrollment this year was over 5000 students. Speaking to the Times, former Merced mayor and real estate broker Ellie Wooten summed up the answer to this little math problem simply: ”Five students paying $200 a month each trump families who cannot afford more than $800 a month.”
And why wouldn’t students want to pay $200 a month for several thousand square feet, for multi-car garages, master suites with jacuzzi tubs and walk-in closets bigger than those dorms back on campus?
Sure, there may be city codes against it, but the choice is either occupied housing and an easy solution to the problem of affordable student housing, or a boarded-up house that could easily become a squat, a marijuana "grow house" or burn down accidentally, all of which are potentially worse for the neighborhood than just letting more than one household live there.
The school issue used to be a lesser problem than now. Catholic schools, with most of the teaching force nuns, were more affordable for middle class families. The wealthy, of course, can send their children to private or Latin schools, so improving urban schools is not a high priority. Wealthy suburban residents, however, often use public schools.
Times have changed, and not all communities were like that "back then", either.
It remains like that in LI, actually. Just try to get a permit for a "mother in law" apartment. Ain't easy.
One new condo there was so unpopular due to antidensity that they forced the builder to make no more than one bedroom per condo. So a "study" is included in each one bedroom condo, then the day you settle they come put a door on it and voila, your second bedroom exists.
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