Posted on 12/24/2019 10:08:34 PM PST by EinNYC
Democrats in Virginia may override local zoning to bring high-density housing, including public housing, to every neighborhood statewide — whether residents want it or not.
The measure could quickly transform the suburban lifestyle enjoyed by millions, permitting duplexes to be built on suburban lots in neighborhoods previously consisting of quiet streets and open green spaces. Proponents of “upzoning” say the changes are necessary because suburbs are bastions of segregation and elitism, as well as bad for the environment.
The move, which aims to provide “affordable housing,” might be fiercely opposed by local officials throughout the state, who have deliberately created and preserved neighborhoods with particular character — some dense and walkable, others semi-rural and private — to accommodate people’s various preferences.
But Democrats tout a state-level law’s ability to replace “not in my backyard” with “yes, in your backyard.”
House Delegate Ibraheem Samirah, a Democrat, introduced six housing measures Dec. 19, coinciding with Democrats’ takeover of the state legislature in November.
“Single-family housing zones would become two-zoned,” Samirah told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Areas that would be impacted most would be the suburbs that have not done their part in helping out.”
“The real issues are the areas in between very dense areas which are single-family zoned. Those are the areas that the state is having significant trouble dealing with. They’re living in a bubble,” he said.
He said suburbs were “mostly white and wealthy” and that their local officials — who have historically been in charge of zoning — were ignoring the desires of poor people, who did not have time to lobby them to increase suburban density.
In response to a question about whether people who bought homes in spacious suburbs have valid reasons, not based on discrimination, for preferring to live that way — including a love for nature and desire to preserve woods and streams — he said: “Caring about nature is very important, but the more dense a neighborhood is, the more energy efficient it is.”
He said if local officials seek to change requirements like setbacks to make it impossible to build dense housing in areas zoned to preserve a nature feel, “if they make setbacks to block duplexes, there’d have to be a lawsuit to resolve whether those zoning provisions were necessary.”
He wrote on Facebook, “Because middle housing is what’s most affordable for low-income people and people of color, banning that housing in well-off neighborhoods chalks up to modern-day redlining, locking folks out of areas with better access to schools, jobs, transit, and other services and amenities.”
“I will certainly get pushback for this. Some will call it ‘state overreach.’ Some will express anxiety about neighborhood change. Some may even say that the supply issue doesn’t exist. But the research is clear: zoning is a barrier to more housing and integrated communities,” he continued.
He tweeted Sunday that that would include public housing. “Important Q about new social/public housing programs: where are we going to put the units? Under current zoning, new low-income housing is relegated to underinvested neighborhoods, concentrating poverty more. Ending exclusionary zoning has to be part of broader housing reform,” he said.
Tim Hannigan, chairman of the Fairfax County Republican Committee — in one of the areas Samirah represents — said that urban Democrats were waging war on the suburbs.
“This could completely change the character of suburban residential life, because of the urbanization that would develop,” he told the DCNF. “So much of the American dream is built upon this idea of finding a nice quiet place to raise your family, and that is under assault.”
“This is a power-grab to take away the ability of local communities to establish their own zoning practices … literally trying to change the character of our communities,” he said.
He said suburbs were not equipped to handle the increased traffic, and “inevitably it will just push people to places where they feel they’ll get away from that, they may move to West Virginia to get their little plot of land.”
Minneapolis became the first city to eliminated single family zoning in December 2018, after a push by progressive advocacy groups promoting “equity.” Austin, Texas, and Seattle soon followed suit.
But those cities were amending zoning codes that have always been the domain of local governments. Oregon passed state legislation blocking local governments’ single-family zoning in July, CityLab reported.
It quoted Alex Baca, a Washington, D.C., urbanist with the site Greater Greater Washington, saying that single-family zoning is a tool for wealthy whites to maintain segregated neighborhoods and that the abolition of low-density neighborhoods is necessary for equity.
CityLab acknowledged that “residents might reasonably desire to keep the neighborhoods they love the way they are,” but said that implementing the law at the state level makes sure that those concerns can be more easily ignored.
“By preempting the ability of local governments to set their own restrictive zoning policies, the state policy would circumnavigate the complaints of local NIMBY homeowners who want to block denser housing,” it wrote.
While he implied that suburbs are prejudiced, Samirah himself has a history of anti-Semitic comments, including saying sending money to Israel is worse than funding the Klu Klux Klan.
“I am so sorry that my ill-chosen words added to the pain of the Jewish community, and I seek your understanding and compassion as I prove to you our common humanity,” he said in February.
He interrupted a speech in July by President Donald Trump in Jamestown, Virginia, and said, “You can’t send us back! Virginia is our home.”
His father is Jordanian refugee Sabri Samirah, who authorities banned from the U.S. for a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, in part because of his membership in the Muslim Brotherhood, the Chicago Tribune reported in 2014.
So Ibraheem Samira” knows what’s best for American Virginians huh?!
This should be viewed for what it is - a direct attack on Anglo-Saxon values and Anglo-Saxon identity. (Because the more those values and identity are erased, the easier it is to declare America is ‘a nation of immigrants’ by characters such as recent migrant Samirah, who would rather change America to suit his worldview than assimilate into a 500yr old, well-established country). Suburban areas already have plenty of poor folks. Those who can't afford even the cheapest apartment in a big city or who have fled for the lives from big city crime live in surburbs and semi-rural areas. But suburban and rural areas aren't known for walkable factor or services, and the cost of providing walkable services and attracting businesses to limited-earnings-potential communities is a no-go out the starting gate. Suburban areas don't have the funds to support the social services OR the elephant-sized bureaucracy that cities with fed funding have.
So if cities have a problem with integration and diversity and too many poor, which, quite frankly they shouldn't have with 3% unemployment and immigrants barred from milking welfare, maybe they need to handle their management problem themselves instead of forcing their problems onto hard-working, taxpaying landowners who are uptohere about paying ANY more taxes for ANY programs, especially hair-brained ones dripping with anamosity.
Shoot the bastards and be done with them.
I truly hate these people. They are destroying a once-great state, and what makes it worse is that they believe they have a mandate for it
But if you are going to burn DC to the ground you pretty much are gonna have to start in Virginia.
Hasn't zoning always bun unconstitutional under the "takings" clause?
What about private property rights?
Kind of strange the democrats have wound up on this side of the issue.
The Dems know they will be in for only one term, so they are maximizing their one term to try to keep power.
It is like Alberta Redux.
No. Mexico (Mexicans, Guatemala, El Salvador, etc) , is only a tool for them. Syria, Egypt (Cairo ), Turkey, Lebanon , Iraq, Iran, Pakistan.
And U.S. white atheist college eco-extremists are worse.
Destroying our neighborhoods while theirs remain intact and safe. We are being destroyed from within by our own.
Slaves cannot fight back.
If they cared about the environment, they would simply say no housing can exceed the number of residents +1. In other words, one spare bedroom.
Anything beyond that is wasteful and harmful to the environment.
But elitists would never do that because it would affect them the most.
Democrats are allies of the gangs (Crypts, Bloods, MS-13, etc) and want to ensure they have a healthy market for drugs, sex slaves, etc.
Democrats own the inner cities. They win elections there by 100% to 0% on a regular basis.
So, they can afford to shift some of those excess voters out into the suburbs to turn them blue while keeping their stranglehold on the big cities.
If they can’t win via the popular vote, then they will move their voters to where it affects the Electoral College.
Left my $$$$$ 3 acre home in Northern VA about 8 years ago. Hope all my soccer mom friends/neighbors who were heay D voters are going to enjoy their cultural enrichment.
L8r 9
This isn’t a nee thing for Democrats. Do any Connecticut folks recall the 1970’s “Greater Hartford Process”?
It was as a clandestine effort to outsource the poverty and crime of Hartford’s north end to smalltown Coventry. The plan included building massive projects on what was pasture and woodlands.
It was eventually stopped when the plans were finally uncovered.
“Let’s annoy all of the wealthy donors” sounds like an interesting experiment for Virginia Democrats to undertake.
I’m spending Christmas visiting liberal relatives here in LOUDOUN COUNTY, noticing the Washington Post paper on the end table, and thinking “you got what you wanted, enjoy it while you can.”
Fools!
Not pretty or kind, but that does pretty much hit the nail on the head.
Now can you see why they want to grab all the guns?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.