The Siren Songs of "Affordable" Housing and Infill (opinion)
For nine months, a group in a south Carson City neighborhood of 1 acre+ lots battled to stop the approval of a zoning change to Single Family 6,000 on an adjacent lot which should be a transitional area from low density residential to higher density development. On March 18, 2021, that fight was summarily ended by the Board of Supervisors (BOS) who have heard the Siren songs of "affordable" housing and infill.
The material facts consistently presented included that the precedent was set in the Master Plan for a "variety of lot sizes . . . be provided to allow for a gradual transition in density between existing 1-acre lots and the more urban development . . . and to encourage a diversity of housing types." This "gradual transition" was afforded to the Schulz Ranch Specific Plan Area but not allowed to be consistently applied to the subject neighborhood.
A second notable fact was that it was very apparent that this "gradual transition" was factored in, many years ago, to the development of the remainder of the block and, therefore, the last vacant parcel should have followed suit. The third fact was that there were Court cases and an Attorney General's Opinion that, although zoning regulations must be in substantial agreement with a master plan, there was no legislative intent of statute to demand strict conformity. However, the city has taken upon itself to apply a straight-jacket interpretation of statute in opposition to the Courts and the Attorney General. Not once were these salient material facts ever addressed or researched by either city staff or the BOS.
The only thing the neighbors routinely received was the dismissive platitude that they should know that their concerns were definitely "heard." What was "heard" was the loud and clear alignment of the majority of the BOS (Maurice White being the exception) with big development at the expense of existing cohesive neighborhoods. Shame on them (as well as city staff and the Planning Commission) for not doing their due diligence on behalf of the people who elected them. Ultimately, to further win over the BOS, the developers threw the resistant neighbors a concessionary "bone" but there are currently no guarantees that it will be executed or not removed in the future.
Unfortunately, Carson City is small in area and landlocked. The argument that nothing profitable can be built other than high density dwellings is pure greed on the part of developers. There will come a time when they have pillaged every hillside and vacant lot in the quest for the "most profitable" buildings couched in the guise of "affordable" housing. Except, no doubt, this will not be in the neighborhoods where they and the BOS live.
Once big development has fully accomplished this goal, no-one will want to live here and Carson City will be left with the hideous aftermath.