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While one consideration is "How transit rich is an area?" First you have to ask the question "What are the general levels of density in the immediately adjacent blocks? ... And what is the consensus from the residents of those blocks about the desired density for their area?". It might be practical to add density but not advisable ... or even wanted. Yes, the person who owns this piece of land may certainly want to see it built out to the greatest extent, but after he/she has collected their sales dollars and left the neighborhood, it'll be the neighbors paying the price for this increased density. They might like it and they might not. For example, the U and 14th area was for a long time a blighted area. So, increased density there is probably a welcome thing. Especially, since it can mean just returning to a level of density that was there previously. Ledroit Park may be a whole different story. I remember talking to someone from there who said the reason he'd bought there was that there, as opposed to Dupont or Logan, he could afford to own a home. And it was the 'neigbhorhood of single family homes' that made the place appealing to him. If adding all those units to this piece of land requires a variance, then he (and others) might object to that variance ... as they should if they bought with the expectation that that neighborhood would remain mainly single family homes. They would be getting cheated of what they paid for so that that one landowner could make more profit ...

by Lance on Mar 8, 2010 3:37 pm • link • report