A Public Comment in Alexandria
Plus updates: Speaking at a conference in DC and publications past and future
Loyal subscribers, please pardon my absence. The good news is, I have been writing, and of course rather busy with YIMBY. Last month I published a piece in Greater Greater Washington: Transit-oriented development is not enough. You would probably enjoy it! I am proud of how it turned out. An excerpt:
The Washington region is the proud exemplar of transit-oriented development (TOD). Densifying around Metro stations has given us more new homes than other superstar metro regions, keeping our housing prices moderately less inhumane.
Building near the train is fantastic, but insufficient to produce all of the housing we need. …
Empirical evidence shows transit plays a surprisingly nuanced role in the places we most associate with walkability. And I have my own doubts from personally living in walkable Alexandria neighborhoods with low traffic congestion and little or no Metro access.
Moreover, Arlington County’s Missing Middle housing debate illustrated how TOD can be distorted into an ideal that NIMBYs and, more consequentially, some elected officials use to argue against building housing away from transit. In other words: against new housing in most places.
Next month I expect a conservative magazine to run a long piece I wrote about weak property rights in the housing market, which notes the prejudicial history of U.S. land use restrictions. The SCOTUS Euclid decision is notorious for the line, ‘very often the apartment house is a mere parasite,’ but the full quotes are just as toe-curling.
I will be participating in a couple of panels at LibertyCon 2024, February 2-4 in DC. One will be about the need for the libertarian movement to put its house in order (at least that will be my approach) and the other is about zoning and YIMBY. Tickets are apparently in short supply. Register with the code “LUCA” (I kid you not) for 10% off.
As for an actual blog post, below are my remarks for a November 1st Alexandria Planning Commission hearing on Zoning for Housing, an exciting but modest—so far—package of zoning reforms, to include permitting up to four units per lot on the third of Alexandria land currently restricted to detached single-family homes.
I deliberately highlighted the undercurrent of misanthropy and, at worst, dehumanization in many housing policy debates, including the one in my city. But I put a positive spin on that issue, extolling the need to view each other as a blessing.
My name is Luca Gattoni-Celli. I am a proud Alexandria resident, addressing you as the founder of YIMBYs of Northern Virginia. Our grassroots, all-volunteer, pro-housing organization includes hundreds of YIMBYs in Alexandria who support Zoning for Housing. Please produce and approve the most robust possible version of this policy.
Alexandria must reject fatalism and catastrophizing. We can solve our housing crisis, and we should not fear the solutions. We can create the housing we need.
Change is inevitable. Will Alexandria become completely unaffordable? Or will we find a way to grow? Will we find a way to tolerate each other’s existence, welcoming new neighbors rather than resenting the idea of more people living here? I believe we can, and must, view each other as a blessing. We can build a city where young families can thrive, older residents have options to downsize, and first responders and teachers can live in the community they serve. Letting Alexandria grow will make it a better place to live.
We don’t need to save Del Rey, but we should legalize it, not only where it stands today, but also across our city. Del Ray, Old Town, Cameron Station--emulating these great neighborhoods is the solution to our housing crisis. You should permit Alexandria’s iconic townhomes and three-story garden apartments, by right, everywhere.
My own neighborhood, Alexandria West, is another model. My family lives in a townhouse abutting the Southern Towers high-rise apartments. Living near thousands of other human beings is nothing but a blessing for me and my family. We walk to grocery stores and the library. My neighborhood is safe and pleasant, with hardly any traffic. Alexandria should allow more residents to live this way. More than anything else, my neighborhood is proof that thousands of people living close together is nothing to be afraid of. Actually, it's wonderful.
Commissioners, you know the draft Zoning for Housing framework does not do enough, even if this is only phase one of a multi-stage zoning modernization. Your decisions have the potential to begin the process of systemic reform that will fix our housing shortage and affordability crisis. We, the people who say yes, urge you to use your best judgment to make the best policy you can.
And, seeing that I have more time: Love thy neighbor.
Planning commission unanimously endorsed the proposal. In case you live in Alexandria (or were priced out), next week you will have two opportunities to testify before the City Council about Zoning for Housing before a vote anticipated for the end of November. In case you live in Arlington, this Saturday will be the big final hearing for Plan Langston Boulevard. Details on the YIMBYs of NoVA website.
Baby G-C #3 will be here any day now, but I plan to do more writing in the new year.
Happy Thanksgiving! It might be my favorite holiday because it celebrates good food, abundance, family, and most of all, gratitude. This has been a good year for me and my family, and I am confident next year will be even better.
If you enjoy this blog or want to work together, do reach out at lucagattonicelli@substack.com. I would love to write about a topic suggested to me by a reader. Visit YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, the grassroots pro-housing organization I founded, at yimbysofnova.org.