Envy, but if the codes start chipping away at the single-family neighborhoods, then it's time to tar and feather the city council before running them out of town. I'm probably have to repeat this multiple times - when the city is filled, stop building.
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Fee-Simple Small Lots Yield Urbane Density
UrbanLand, August 13, 2014 By Will MachtIn the drive to increase density in cities to accommodate the increased demand for housing among younger urban professionals, planners and developers have concentrated on taller multifamily buildings full of apartments and condominiums.
Some cities recognize that increasing density in urban areas outside commercial cores requires experimenting with ordinances that increase flexibility for developers to infill smaller sites in a way that permits more innovative solutions to site planning problems.
Los Angeles enacted a small-lot ordinance to allow construction of fee-simple, infill housing on small lots in multifamily and commercial zones as a way to enable compact building footprints and minimal streetfront and setback requirements. Whereas homeownership options traditionally had been limited to condos or single-family homes on typical 5,000-square-foot (465 sq m) lots, the passage of the small-lot ordinance extends ownership options to include townhouses, rowhouses, and
other types of infill housing
typically only available for rent.
The footprint of each house provides about 770 square feet (72 sq m) of space per level to incorporate a variety of functions and spaces. At grade, a garage can house two cars, one compact, in 16- and 22-foot-deep (5 and 7 m) spaces. A flexible 430-square-foot (40 sq m) space with a full bathroom carved out of the garage area can be used as a home office or a guest bedroom. If a kitchenette were added to the space, it might be turned into an accessory
dwelling unit. (RCH Studios)
The second level of each house contains the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and a half bath in a variety of configurations depending on where the internal staircase is placed. Bay windows with floor-to-ceiling glass, kitchen islands, and gas fireplaces articulate the living spaces. Because the houses are 36 feet (11 m) tall, including the roof terraces, internal spaces on the second and third floors are nearly ten feet and nine feet (3 and 2.7 m) tall, respectively, filling the rooms with light and expanding their more-compact areas.
The third level contains a master suite with a separate shower and tub, dual sinks, and a walk-in closet; a second bedroom; and a laundry closet.
The choice of fee-simple lots rather than what could have been apartments or condos changes a broad spectrum of development considerations. The market for fee-simple ownership is broader, and the home values are higher than those for communal ownership. In Los Angeles, condo association fees are more than $400 per month versus no more than about $60 to $80 for the shared-maintenance expense at this development, Mordoch says. At that rate, he contends, the expense differential alone amounts to about $70,000 in capitalized value. In addition, other potential capital assessments for condos, and their shared-decision-making structure, do not appeal to many prospective buyers.
Los Angeles enacted a small-lot ordinance to allow construction of fee-simple, infill housing on small lots in multifamily and commercial zones as a way to enable compact building footprints and minimal streetfront and setback requirements. Whereas homeownership options traditionally had been limited to condos or single-family homes on typical 5,000-square-foot (465 sq m) lots, the passage of the small-lot ordinance extends ownership options to include townhouses, rowhouses, and
other types of infill housing
typically only available for rent.
The footprint of each house provides about 770 square feet (72 sq m) of space per level to incorporate a variety of functions and spaces. At grade, a garage can house two cars, one compact, in 16- and 22-foot-deep (5 and 7 m) spaces. A flexible 430-square-foot (40 sq m) space with a full bathroom carved out of the garage area can be used as a home office or a guest bedroom. If a kitchenette were added to the space, it might be turned into an accessory
dwelling unit. (RCH Studios)
The second level of each house contains the living and dining rooms, the kitchen, and a half bath in a variety of configurations depending on where the internal staircase is placed. Bay windows with floor-to-ceiling glass, kitchen islands, and gas fireplaces articulate the living spaces. Because the houses are 36 feet (11 m) tall, including the roof terraces, internal spaces on the second and third floors are nearly ten feet and nine feet (3 and 2.7 m) tall, respectively, filling the rooms with light and expanding their more-compact areas.
The lots are different sizes, offering somewhat varied private outdoor space. The two front houses (at right) are 1,800 square feet (167 sq m). The two lots at the rear (at left) are 1,600 square feet (149 sq m). The two houses between the others are the largest at 2,000 square feet (186 sq m) each. At grade, a garage houses two cars, one compact. (RCH Studios)
The choice of fee-simple lots rather than what could have been apartments or condos changes a broad spectrum of development considerations. The market for fee-simple ownership is broader, and the home values are higher than those for communal ownership. In Los Angeles, condo association fees are more than $400 per month versus no more than about $60 to $80 for the shared-maintenance expense at this development, Mordoch says. At that rate, he contends, the expense differential alone amounts to about $70,000 in capitalized value. In addition, other potential capital assessments for condos, and their shared-decision-making structure, do not appeal to many prospective buyers.
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