It is time that Lakewood seriously reconsider its land use policies and legalize housing.
Legalize housing not just among its arteries, but on of all of its 5.54 square mile body.
Barriers that constrain housing supply by restricting density, as the main culprit for the dearth of affordable housing in the United States, is no longer the nascent hypotheses of policy wonks but the veritable conclusions from eminent academic and expert institutions around the world.
The aperture of research has closed in on minimum lot sizes, set backs, parking minimums, height restrictions, and many other density preventing municipal ordinances as the most significant contribution to rising housing costs.
Lakewood has long been a beacon of density in the face of generations of urban sprawl.
That not only can density remain safe, equitable, and enjoyable, but also affordable.
What will it say about Lakewood and its legacy of density when it closes its doors to those that needed homes.
That when its country needed dense housing the most, its leaders, such as Lakewood, were unable to live up to its virtues and history and provide more housing.
It is time that Lakewood seriously reconsider its land use policies and legalize housing.
Legalize housing not just among its arteries, but on of all of its 5.54 square mile body.
Barriers that constrain housing supply by restricting density, as the main culprit for the dearth of affordable housing in the United States, is no longer the nascent hypotheses of policy wonks but the veritable conclusions from eminent academic and expert institutions around the world.
The aperture of research has closed in on minimum lot sizes, set backs, parking minimums, height restrictions, and many other density preventing municipal ordinances as the most significant contribution to rising housing costs.
Lakewood has long been a beacon of density in the face of generations of urban sprawl.
That not only can density remain safe, equitable, and enjoyable, but also affordable.
What will it say about Lakewood and its legacy of density when it closes its doors to those that needed homes.
That when its country needed dense housing the most, its leaders, such as Lakewood, were unable to live up to its virtues and history and provide more housing.
It is time to up zone Lakewood.