SF could have dense, fine-grained, family-friendly Neighborhood, Not Megaproject
urbancourtyard.substack.com14 points by idbnstra 5 hours ago
14 points by idbnstra 5 hours ago
One reason we have megaprojects is that permits and regulations are so time-consuming that small builders (who face the additional hurdle of coordinating with each other) can't afford it.
The shutdown in housing construction has been so extreme and long lasting I'm of a mind to just let the big guys build. Get out of their way. At least the burden of proof is on those proposing other approaches to show convincingly that their plans are not slowdowns in disguise.
> Imagine joining ten other households to commission a courtyard building. You secure an available parcel, select a pre-reviewed plan, organize financing, and hire a professional builder.
> You commission your homes collectively, with professionals doing the construction.
Having to find 10 other households who want to live on the same plot of land as you and who you have to coordinate with in a pretty intense and long-lasting way in order to get your housing built at all, sounds much worse than simply buying a unit in a condo association or renting an apartment from a single landlord - or buying a detached home somewhere outside of San Francisco.
I'm not saying this model of property building should be illegal or discouraged - I'm in favor of trying basically any model of new housing development in the bay area if it results in new housing getting built - but this specific multu-household coordination problem seems like a huge downside. Frankly, I'm skeptical this is how things work most of the time in Hamburg or the other European cities cited as a model for this type of apartment complex.
>Having to find 10 other households who want to live on the same plot of land as you and who you have to coordinate with in a pretty intense and long-lasting way in order to get your housing built at all...
And you have to coordinate to make any changes. Do you want to make a garden? Take down a tree? Add a bench? There's a whole other level of bureaucracy involved.