Is it Time for Washington to Develop a Skyline? (houses, neighborhoods)
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Ha Ha, you really crack me up! Unlike some on here, I actually have a life and don't have time to sit in front of the computer reading every single post to a simple question. If you actually left your dormroom once in a while to see the world beyond whatever you read on message boards and wikipedia you would see what I'm talking about. I was merely comparing metro sizes, not infrastructure. Maybe you should read a post thoroughly before making some inept comment.
Obviously DC is a unique city for its size, and not everybody would like to see that changed. I get that, I just simply appreciate how a city looks from a distance as you're driving towards it with the skyline in the distance. You don't get that with DC. But I do like the city and frequent it often.
Oh because I know a thing or two I don't have a life. If only you really knew how far off the mark you are with your assumptions lol...that description you made up more than likely fits your lifestyle more than it does mine.
Anyway I don't kno why you're so pissed off anyway. I was just pointing out why DC shouldn't have towering skyline. If I misunderstood your post and you're comparing "metro sizes," then fine I agree.
Location: Far Northeast, D.C. and Montgomery County, MD
220 posts, read 704,529 times
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Even if the height limit can't be relaxed, more apartment building should be constructed to there maximum height. Theres too much DC overflow in the suburbs (mainly MD). Mont. Co is overcrowded and so is PG and they don't even seem like the burbs' anymore.
Even if the height limit can't be relaxed, more apartment building should be constructed to there maximum height. Theres too much DC overflow in the suburbs (mainly MD). Mont. Co is overcrowded and so is PG and they don't even seem like the burbs' anymore.
My main concern is wondering when will it stop? There are communities now in Winchester, Virginia advertising their "proximity to the DC Metro area" as a selling point for commuters looking for more affordable housing. I received a flyer in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago from one of these communities. Do we really want ALL of the the land between Winchester and DC to be consumed by disgusting tract housing someday? That would be of detriment to those of you in the District as well, you know, who congest Route 7 and I-66 westbound on summer weekends trying to find a rural respite near the Shenandoahs or Loudoun County every once in a while to "escape" the city life and go horseback riding or winery-hopping. What will you do when all of those favorite haunts are paved over for new residential subdivisions and Wal-Marts? Ditto Frederick County, Maryland, Howard County, MD, Charles County, MD, and even, I'm sad to say, Washington County, MD and Berkeley County, WV.
Even if the height limit can't be relaxed, more apartment building should be constructed to there maximum height. Theres too much DC overflow in the suburbs (mainly MD). Mont. Co is overcrowded and so is PG and they don't even seem like the burbs' anymore.
I don't think their overcrowded at all, especially not MoCo. In fact I would welcome more and more residents. The think I don't welcome is expanding sprawl into Upcounty Montgomery (or Southern PG). They should build denser transit-oriented developments such as the high-rise apartments you mentioned.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ScranBarre
My main concern is wondering when will it stop? There are communities now in Winchester, Virginia advertising their "proximity to the DC Metro area" as a selling point for commuters looking for more affordable housing. I received a flyer in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago from one of these communities. Do we really want ALL of the the land between Winchester and DC to be consumed by disgusting tract housing someday? That would be of detriment to those of you in the District as well, you know, who congest Route 7 and I-66 westbound on summer weekends trying to find a rural respite near the Shenandoahs or Loudoun County every once in a while to "escape" the city life and go horseback riding or winery-hopping. What will you do when all of those favorite haunts are paved over for new residential subdivisions and Wal-Marts? Ditto Frederick County, Maryland, Howard County, MD, Charles County, MD, and even, I'm sad to say, Washington County, MD and Berkeley County, WV.
Well, in Montgomery County it's virtually come to a halt. Clarksburg is where Montgomery suburbia will end. With all the farm/open-space preservation stuff MoCo put in place there literally is no more room for expanded development. The county has already banned any new development in Germantown, Clarksburg, and Bethesda thanks to overcrowded schools. Also the county seems to be currently focused on increasing transit-oriented development.
My main concern is wondering when will it stop? There are communities now in Winchester, Virginia advertising their "proximity to the DC Metro area" as a selling point for commuters looking for more affordable housing. I received a flyer in my mailbox a couple of weeks ago from one of these communities. Do we really want ALL of the the land between Winchester and DC to be consumed by disgusting tract housing someday?
I really don't think thats going to happen. I'd say one of the big appeals of living in Winchester and commuting to DC is the fact that Winchester is an old town that feels like a town and not like another amorphous, identity-less suburb. I can definitely understand the appeal of driving a little longer to work and being able to live in houses that aren't dissimilar from those in Old Town Alexandria, minus the cost.
Also, if you look at the vast majority of construction being done today, most of it raises density rather than perpetuating low density. This leads me to believe that there's more demand for Wilson Corridor-style suburbs than for more and more congestion building sprawl, which I think is fantastic.
Well therein lies the problem. I'm really not a fan of suburban living (or the Commonwealth of Virginia in general), so even though Arlington may be "near" the District, it still isn't quite the same in my book.
Why don't you move to the district. You are already paying the price that would afford you a studio even in nice well connected areas. If you don't want to move to the district because of the longer commute to work (which is what I am guessing), then building high-rises in the district won't really solve your problem. If you want suburbs to become 'the city' it won't happen any time soon even if a few high-rise neighborhoods are built, it simply won't create that type of density and feel at street level.
I believe Reston already has a 'town center' with restaurants, movie theaters and condo/townhouses nearby. did you try to move there, to the town center? If not what didn't you like about it? I can guess, that it didn't give you the feel of the city. Even if it gets connected by public transport and becomes more dense it won't be much different from Arlington. But you don't like Arlington anyway, as it's not enough of a city feel for you there either.
I think the only way you can solve your personal problem if you find a job in the city and you move to the city and hopefully use Metro or walk to work. But you have to work on making this happen, nobody's decisions to build or not build high-rises would affect your way of life because your job is in a very suburban area with 'artificial' urban center and building more of them won't make them less artificial. From what you say, you don't have a really high paying job (or even career possibilities to make more) to lose that you can't look for another one in the city proper, besides, you can look while you still work.
You have to realize that city won't come to you wherever you decide to work/live. People move to the suburbs for a different reasons and these people don't want to live in a city and if you live in their midst they won't change their minds to bring the city to you, sacrificing their chosen way of life. Subway line won't bring the city to your either, it may make it easier for you to get to the city but realistically, only if you live really close by to even walk there. And as you said, even Arlington won't do it for you and that's light years ahead of Reston or Tysons already in the way that it provides walkable areas and walking accessibility to metro.
Building high-rises in the district won't solve many people's problems who move to suburbia.
1) the people moving to suburbia to be close to their jobs aren't going to jump at the opportunity to own a condo in the district and there are tons of people who actually work in the suburbs and not in the city.
2) people with families aren't going to be all starry eyed about high-rise living when they want their own private home with the backyard. It's not easy to live in an apartment with the family. Kids make noise, they run around, neighbors get pissed. Unless apartment buildings have superior noise insulation (which many don't) it's not really plausible to suggest those with kids would put up living there en-masse and those without kids would love to have the noise from other people's kids. There are those who live in the suburbs that don't desire SFR living, like singles and childless couples and who simply live in the burbs to be close to work. It would help to build some more high-rises with nearby amenities for them in the suburbs that would be concentrated around major metro stations and which would have bus shuttles to major office parks in the suburbs.
I can see high-rises developing around major metro stations in suburban or more residential areas of the district that are away from the historical neighborhoods.
Most other cities that built a bunch of residential high-rises in their downtown cores didn't necessarily succeed to bring the street life, that we so much admire about NYC and other dense residential urban centers. DC has its share of ghost glass towers as well - already. Bulding more of them won't help if people don't move in. And we may not have a mass of people wanting to move in given some of the reasons I listed above.
I'm tiring of all of the NIMBYs here in Virginia holding up progress all the time. Protesting the Silver Line. Protesting spending money to redevelop Tyson's Corner. Protesting plans to increase density in sprawling communities like Reston. Protesting an INDOOR TENNIS COURT for crying out loud!
Metro connectivity will have a lot of pushback from those who don't want the noise from the nearby trains. It kinda beats the purpose too… because if you think about it, unless you are walking distance to the metro, it's not really as useful (having to drive and park and pay for parking). But when you live in your suburban house you also don't want to be too close to have all the noise and grime associated with above-ground trains. So, the metro has to be built underground to satisfy people's needs and have more stations, and that will be extremely difficult to do in the burbs. Also, the primary metro purpose and how most metro lines tend to be built in most major metro areas (not just DC) is to bring people into the city, not to shuttle people from one suburban area to another (which is what people tend to do). The best would be to put more bus lines, which are easier to blend in into the suburban fabric of life. The more frequent bus service taking people to nearest metro stations , wider network of buses and more well-positioned stops allowing people to walk to the bus would help relieving the traffic situation. NYC area is a good example where people from more distant suburbs take buses to subway or local trains to get into Manhattan. This isn’t solving commute time for many unfortunately… But with relatively smaller size of DC area, this may work well here.. It works well for Seattle with many deeply residential area commuters taking buses.
I think it would be great to make the Reston's existing city center more dense and bring a metro station there. I don't see why there would be a push-back when this area is already zoned for more dense housing.
I think it would be great to make the Reston's existing city center more dense and bring a metro station there. I don't see why there would be a push-back when this area is already zoned for more dense housing.
You apparently haven't met the people from Reston. They're NIMBYs just for the sake of being NIMBYs.
You apparently haven't met the people from Reston. They're NIMBYs just for the sake of being NIMBYs.
No I haven't... or care to move there to find out. But I've been to the town center a couple of times and it is clearly zoned for multi-family and commercial. There are stores, restaurants, and condos already.
The point is, it will still take Reston years and years to become at least what Arlington is already today even without NIMBYism, but even Arlington is not to your liking. So, it seems like you are wasting your time. I would look for a job in the district and move. This would be a solution with shorter term wait, even if your job search takes months and months.
You moved to suburbia, you took the job in suburbia. You can't expect suburbia to bring the city to you, you have to make the effort to move to the city.
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Ditto Frederick County, Maryland, Howard County, MD, Charles County, MD, and even, I'm sad to say, Washington County, MD and Berkeley County, WV.
