My reply to the people who want to designate my neighborhood a historic district
The author opposes designating their neighborhood as a historic district, arguing it worsens housing shortages. They advocate for inclusivity, more housing, and embracing diversity to create a vibrant and affordable community.
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The author received an email advocating for designating their neighborhood as a "historic district" to preserve the community amidst new developments. However, the author opposes this idea, arguing that it exacerbates housing shortages and homelessness issues. They believe that more housing should be built to address these problems. The author criticizes the notion that preserving property values by limiting housing supply benefits homeowners, emphasizing the broader negative impacts on the community. They advocate for inclusivity, supporting small businesses, and welcoming new residents to create a vibrant neighborhood. The author challenges the idea of preserving the historic character of the neighborhood, pointing out the long-standing presence of apartment buildings. They stress the importance of embracing diversity and evolving to create a more affordable and thriving city. The author concludes by advocating for a neighborhood and city that are welcoming and accessible to all.
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9 commentsI've never understood why people try to connect these issues. They're wholely unrelated. No one's like "oh, I can't find a house in my city, guess I'll just live on the street". In reality it is "oh, I can't find a house in the city. I'll move where it's reasonable". If I can afford a very reasonable rent, I can afford a ride out of town.
The homeless aren't homeless because housing is expensive where you are. There are places within reach where housing is cheap.
I live in a historic district and am not allowed to do things that would help preserve the house or even to change it back to its original state (unless I have photos of my house circa 1900 to prove it, but who took photos of middle class houses then?). The city busybodies don't have a background in architecture or history and seem to think that the past actually looked like Disney's Celebration, FL.
Best of luck to Mark in keeping his own city's troublemakers out of his neighborhood.
If you looked at the City in the 70s, when it became "historic", it looked amazing, but greatly run down. If they repaired the structures instead of tearing then down structures over the past 50 years, it would be an amazing place to visit.
Now, it is a shell of its former self. But there are plenty of signs saying "This is where ... was". Now I think getting a historic designation is nothing but a money grab by the local gov and their friends in development.
Think of all the housing it could provide.
This post also makes the same mistake pro density activists usually make, which is to project their false ideas of how their “opponents” think onto them. Residents who fight against density and change aren’t doing it for scarcity or property value. That’s what activists say to make them look bad, along with a healthy dose of childish pejoratives like “NIMBY”. The reality is people mostly just want to keep the quality of life they’ve worked hard to find and build.
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