To the editor: I am disappointed by The Times’ support of high-density housing near transit stops as a way to solve the “affordable” housing crisis. Getting people out of their cars plus giving them affordable housing are two separate issues and should be treated as such. (“L.A. obviously needs dense housing along the Expo Line. Why isn't the city planning for it?” editorial, Nov. 9)
Why not
build affordable housing in neighborhoods where people actually live now rather
than where we want them to live?
Let’s continue allowing
granny flats and guest houses in neighborhoods that are not close to transit.
Let’s allow spot zoning in residential neighborhoods for duplexes, triplexes
and small-lot townhome developments — yes, with parking spaces.
A guest
house that can be rented offsets the high cost of a single-family home and may
put home purchases within reach for people of modest means. A guest house will
surely rent for much less than a fancy new apartment in, say, downtown Los
Angeles. Let’s
stop trying to cram more people into areas that were never meant for high
density in the first place.
