michaelskis
Sawdust Producer
- Messages
- 26,006
- Points
- 75
"NO NEW APARTMENTS!"
These words ring loud and clear as if the majority of the community is proclaiming them from the rooftops of their single-family detached dwellings on a 1/3 or larger suburban neighborhood lot. The reasons for this vary as much as the vehicles they drive, but the consensus is fear of the criminal element that often occupies this housing type in the city just down the street. Having said that, we have many apartments that are profoundly smaller than my single family detached dwelling that the rent is substantially more than my mortgage. We have one development that has a for-rent Townhome style product (3 bed 2.5 bath) that they get $4,100 a month for, which in this market is crazy money for a rental.
But...
These same citizens are also questioning why young professionals (ie their kids) are not returning to the community. Why families with small children are no longer moving here even though we have state and national award winning schools. So as part of our Comp Plan process, we are having some deep conversations with our steering committee regarding the differences between use and design.
I had one member come in and wanted to have a conversation about Town Homes and how he thinks they are the worst of the worst. His concerns got me thinking about the design element. When he said town homes, this is what he saw in his head:
But when I asked him what he thought about these:
He had a very different thought and loved these and thought they would be terrific here. We discussed the differences (no front loaded garage, building pulled up almost to the property line, and different exterior materials. But we noted that the use, and even the square footage of the buildings were likely comparable.
We went a little deeper and talked about the "A" word... Apartments. When people say apartments, they think this:
But this is what was recently built:
Once again, he thought the design was great and understood that those who could afford to live here are not the people who are committing crimes at Gas Stations. (Gas Stations are a whole other issue here).
He pointed out how there is a standard here and the bar is quite high and even smaller detached homes would have a hard time fitting the expectation. I called up this photo and asked him what he thought...
He thought it was great and started to realize that expanding the types of housing is not only possible, but would be a benefit to the community.
Years ago, I wrote my Master's Thesis on the application of Form Based Codes in Suburban Communities and concluded that a purest FBC is not as effective given the political environment, but a hybrid code addresses the use and design element. More than two decades latter, I believe it more than ever. But the design of these structures needs to be context sensitive to meet the character of the community they are in, especially for residential dwellings. While do you do not what a monotonous design, I think people resonate with the visual appearance of the structure more than the use they contain.
But here is the catch, how do you balance the need for high quality design with the need for attainable housing. (We do not have community support for 'affordable housing' so we call it attainable. Do you have any communities that do a great job with design that is consistent with the context of the community that also create dwelling options that are obtainable for young professionals, downsizing empty nesters, and families with young children?
These words ring loud and clear as if the majority of the community is proclaiming them from the rooftops of their single-family detached dwellings on a 1/3 or larger suburban neighborhood lot. The reasons for this vary as much as the vehicles they drive, but the consensus is fear of the criminal element that often occupies this housing type in the city just down the street. Having said that, we have many apartments that are profoundly smaller than my single family detached dwelling that the rent is substantially more than my mortgage. We have one development that has a for-rent Townhome style product (3 bed 2.5 bath) that they get $4,100 a month for, which in this market is crazy money for a rental.
But...
These same citizens are also questioning why young professionals (ie their kids) are not returning to the community. Why families with small children are no longer moving here even though we have state and national award winning schools. So as part of our Comp Plan process, we are having some deep conversations with our steering committee regarding the differences between use and design.
I had one member come in and wanted to have a conversation about Town Homes and how he thinks they are the worst of the worst. His concerns got me thinking about the design element. When he said town homes, this is what he saw in his head:
But when I asked him what he thought about these:
He had a very different thought and loved these and thought they would be terrific here. We discussed the differences (no front loaded garage, building pulled up almost to the property line, and different exterior materials. But we noted that the use, and even the square footage of the buildings were likely comparable.
We went a little deeper and talked about the "A" word... Apartments. When people say apartments, they think this:
But this is what was recently built:
Once again, he thought the design was great and understood that those who could afford to live here are not the people who are committing crimes at Gas Stations. (Gas Stations are a whole other issue here).
He pointed out how there is a standard here and the bar is quite high and even smaller detached homes would have a hard time fitting the expectation. I called up this photo and asked him what he thought...
He thought it was great and started to realize that expanding the types of housing is not only possible, but would be a benefit to the community.
Years ago, I wrote my Master's Thesis on the application of Form Based Codes in Suburban Communities and concluded that a purest FBC is not as effective given the political environment, but a hybrid code addresses the use and design element. More than two decades latter, I believe it more than ever. But the design of these structures needs to be context sensitive to meet the character of the community they are in, especially for residential dwellings. While do you do not what a monotonous design, I think people resonate with the visual appearance of the structure more than the use they contain.
But here is the catch, how do you balance the need for high quality design with the need for attainable housing. (We do not have community support for 'affordable housing' so we call it attainable. Do you have any communities that do a great job with design that is consistent with the context of the community that also create dwelling options that are obtainable for young professionals, downsizing empty nesters, and families with young children?
