Yes, You Can Build Your Way to Affordable Housing (Atlanta: low income, mortgages)

[bu2]

Originally Posted by arjay57

Most of the projects I've pointed out have 10-20 units per acre. Those are not really large lots.

Yes, but large segments of the city have minimum lot sizes. Sometimes an acre or more. I know DeKalb County, for example, had zoning for 2 acre minimums and 1 acre minimums. Now DeKalb has some more rural areas than city of Atlanta, but I don't think those are confined to those areas.

My biggest issue is with areas zoned for SFH large lots. Why does the city need to keep people from subdividing those large lots? I can see setting a 45-50 foot lot width for fire safety reasons (access). That actually would stop some development because some of these large lots are very deep. But what value does the city get from these giant lots vs. the benefit of having more housing. And its not like they will be building 800 sf houses. They will be building something someone other than the very rich can afford, but not something tiny. So the existing homeowners are not going to have their neighborhood degraded.

I do also think there needs to be fewer areas zoned SFH. Its simple supply and demand. If you limit higher density to a few areas, it drives up land prices. Most importantly, it drives out the smaller developers, limiting it to the politically connected. Right now only the politically connected (donors, bribe givers) get things re-zoned. And those connected people do get some things re-zoned.

[jsvh]

Arjay. I do not own a car. I don't want a car. Laws that require me to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on extra land and building cost to store a car I don't own in these dense urban areas is straight BS.

Parking minimum laws require me to double the size of land I buy for a home like mine.

We need to be building housing for people, not cars.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Arjay. I do not own a car. Laws that require me to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on extra land and building cost to store a car I don't own in these dense urban areas is straight BS.

Parking minimum laws require me to double the size of land I buy.

We need to be building housing for people, not cars.

I understand that you may not own a car, jsvh, but what about your tenants and customers?

Now, what I have seen some people do is to request an exemption from the parking requirements.

Others set up shared parking arrangements with other businesses in the area.

For the long haul, I would be glad to join you in lobbying for less parking. We've got way too much of it.

Anything that will get people out of their cars and on foot or onto bikes or mass transit will help reduce congestion for those of us who need/prefer to drive.

[cqholt]

Apartments being converted to 'affordable' condos

A 54-unit Grant Park apartment project is being converted to condominiums starting at just over $200,000.

Atlanta developer Braden & Associates is converting the 11-year-old mid-rise apartments known as Burnett Grant Park. One-and-two bedroom condo units will range from 744 square feet to 1,202 square feet.

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...ted-to-54.html

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by cqholt

Apartments being converted to 'affordable' condos

https://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/...ted-to-54.html

And proof that you don't need a bunch of parking for a successful intown project.

[fourthwarden]

Originally Posted by arjay57

And proof that you don't need a bunch of parking for a successful intown project.

40% of that development's lot area is covered in surface parking, and that's with 'only' one spot per unit. That's not including the curb parking that lines two sides of the lot.


What Rising Housing Costs Could Mean for Atlanta

“Over the last three years, we’ve seen rents in many neighborhoods go up 15 percent, 20 percent,” Immergluck said. “Some neighborhoods 40, 45 percent.”

Inflation from 2014-2017 was 4%.

“Housing prices in the city, not near the Atlanta BeltLine, have gone up 30 percent,” from 2011-2015, he said. “Near the BeltLine, 50-55 percent.”


And he’s reviewed census data, showing over a four-year period, “the city lost over 5,000 rental units that rent for less than 750 a month.”

Inflation from 2011-2015 was 6%.

“Right now, if I just went and bought a piece of property, to develop that property, you’re looking at $1,300 a month,” Young said. “And that’s as cheap as you can deliver right now.”

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I understand that you may not own a car, jsvh, but what about your tenants and customers?

Now, what I have seen some people do is to request an exemption from the parking requirements.

Others set up shared parking arrangements with other businesses in the area.

For the long haul, I would be glad to join you in lobbying for less parking. We've got way too much of it.

Anything that will get people out of their cars and on foot or onto bikes or mass transit will help reduce congestion for those of us who need/prefer to drive.

Arjay. I am not forcing anyone to get rid of their car. If you don't want to come visit me you don't have to. If you don't want to live here because there is not enough parking to your liking, don't. But stop forcing people to pay for these massive parking costs in their home and business when they don't want to. We need affordable urban housing & retail options and that means options with NO parking.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Arjay. I am not forcing anyone to get rid of their car. If you don't want to come visit me you don't have to. If you don't want to live here because there is not enough parking to your liking, don't. But stop forcing people to pay for these massive parking costs in their home and business when they don't want to. We need affordable urban housing & retail options and that means options with NO parking.

I hear you, jsvh.

Personally I am fine with people not having any parking, as long as they and their tenants and customers don't simply come over to my area to park.

[jsvh]

Originally Posted by arjay57

I hear you, jsvh.

Personally I am fine with people not having any parking, as long as they and their tenants and customers don't simply come over to my area to park.

Good to hear Arjay. I have no problem with people towing cars parked on their property or limiting parking in their neighborhood. But we need to separate those fears from our zoning laws that are requiring people to spend tens of thousands of dollars per space on car storage they don't want and significantly inflating our in-town living costs.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by jsvh

Good to hear Arjay. I have no problem with people towing cars parked on their property or limiting parking in their neighborhood. But we need to separate those fears from our zoning laws that are requiring people to spend tens of thousands of dollars per space on car storage they don't want and significantly inflating our in-town living costs.

I think people would feel a little more comfortable with it if there's some way of verifying that the folks who opt for no parking don't bring cars to the premises and don't have tenants, customers or other visitors who show up looking for a place to park a car.