My smaller city in a KC suburb is trying to pull this s*it now. Tear down the older homes and replace with duplexes, multi-family homes, or ADUs in the backyards. You know, equity.
Single family homes are out of range for many people. When you can no longer build out and land is too valuable you build up.
California requires all cities and towns to have state approved “housing elements.” Our town on the San Francisco peninsula just got its housing element approved. It cost a fortune to produce and, as expected, says the town is too white, too privileged, too rich and we need to cram in lots more housing for poor people. It’s full of what you describe.
Rep. Scott Wiener in CA rammed through a bill a couple years ago to allow a single family home on a quarter acre to be demolished and replaced by two big homes each with an ADU in the backyard. Imagine a nice, pleasant neighborhood with quarter acre lots and single story ranch homes turned into THAT!
The state is insane. It’s all especially insane because the population of California is declining partly because of the incessant and massively intrusive government interference like this.