I have to agree with you Michael. I grew up in one of those strip mall suburbs of NY with a mish-mosh of housing, apartments, and stores with very little walkability. I now live in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC in a planned community that is very walkable, with plenty of parks, walking trails and green spaces as well as a variety of housing types. They also require a certain percentage of the housing to be affordable for people making below a certain income level so there are a mix of socioeconomic groups. People are required to maintain their properties and the neighbors look out for each other. It’s so much more aesthetically pleasing than the area I grew up in and has a “real” community feel. I think if you build it with the right values it will attract like-minded people.
Thanks for this article. Really enjoyed reading it and the perspectives you put forward. While Seabrook type communities are interesting, the ability to change the community rules, much like an HOA, condo or co-op Board, is a huge drawback of these communities.
I grew up in a pioneering planned community, aimed at poor people. Heavily subsidized, spacious, and well-built public housing, loads of cycle paths and walking routes that allowed kids to never have to cross a road on the way to school, lots of neighborhood shopping centers, so no food deserts. Would I ever live there again? Not a chance. Soulless, full of people alienated from family and each other. Your place sounds like the same thing, only with rich people. Even worse. Count me with Team Brent. 😂
This is a great article. I loved hearing both sides of the argument, and I feel like I'm teetering between both of your POVs. Well done! Also the tsunami line was claaaassic Brent.
What disturbs me most is the 80% of second-home owners. You can't create community with such a high ratio of part-timers (AKA Airbnb hosts)! They don't really have a stake in the place, other than economically. Why would that change simply by expanding the number of homes? It hasn't happened yet...
It is slowly happening. As I noted, the number of full-time residents is getting near 200, and with that, a growing sense of community. Is it perfect? No. But I think there is a future here.
I have to agree with you Michael. I grew up in one of those strip mall suburbs of NY with a mish-mosh of housing, apartments, and stores with very little walkability. I now live in the Virginia suburbs of Washington DC in a planned community that is very walkable, with plenty of parks, walking trails and green spaces as well as a variety of housing types. They also require a certain percentage of the housing to be affordable for people making below a certain income level so there are a mix of socioeconomic groups. People are required to maintain their properties and the neighbors look out for each other. It’s so much more aesthetically pleasing than the area I grew up in and has a “real” community feel. I think if you build it with the right values it will attract like-minded people.
Thanks for this article. Really enjoyed reading it and the perspectives you put forward. While Seabrook type communities are interesting, the ability to change the community rules, much like an HOA, condo or co-op Board, is a huge drawback of these communities.
Very true. You definitely shouldn't buy in unless you like the vision a LOT.
I like hearing about the mixed housing affordability. Seabrook doesn’t have that…
I grew up in a pioneering planned community, aimed at poor people. Heavily subsidized, spacious, and well-built public housing, loads of cycle paths and walking routes that allowed kids to never have to cross a road on the way to school, lots of neighborhood shopping centers, so no food deserts. Would I ever live there again? Not a chance. Soulless, full of people alienated from family and each other. Your place sounds like the same thing, only with rich people. Even worse. Count me with Team Brent. 😂
Noted!
😂
This is a great article. I loved hearing both sides of the argument, and I feel like I'm teetering between both of your POVs. Well done! Also the tsunami line was claaaassic Brent.
What disturbs me most is the 80% of second-home owners. You can't create community with such a high ratio of part-timers (AKA Airbnb hosts)! They don't really have a stake in the place, other than economically. Why would that change simply by expanding the number of homes? It hasn't happened yet...
It is slowly happening. As I noted, the number of full-time residents is getting near 200, and with that, a growing sense of community. Is it perfect? No. But I think there is a future here.