Rural Preservation v McMansionization

I was out yesterday, driving around and taking pictures in the northern part of District 4. That's such places as Brookeville, Ashton, and Sandy Spring.

Sandy Spring is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities, with the oldest Civic Association in the county. I happen to like Civic Associations, and was on the board of directors of the Aspen Hill Civic Association, Inc. Citizens organize themselves and can influence the government through such civic associations, and if you're a candidate hoping to connect with communities of activists and dedicated participants in the political process, that's where you want to go. I'll be at a candidate's forum on Sunday April 6th at 3:00PM at Sherwood HS, come and see and hear us!

Brookeville is a lovely place with a long history, as you can see from the plaques and architecture:



It's right at the edge of the Rural Heritage Preservation area. If you go driving through it, north on MD 97, you'll think that you're out in the country and that there's probably nothing around but farms and more farms.

There are in fact some farms, elegant established places full of history and representative of the historic pride of America in its productivity:



That's a lovely farm on Brighton Dam Road, east of Brookeville. But literally a stone's throw away there is the so-called "infill development", sitting cleverly out of sight of the main highway that passes through Brookeville, All along Bordly Drive and the other roads in the associated development, is an eruption of "McMansions":



Now, I have nothing against the wealthy living in such luxury as they can afford. However, my tastes are more traditionalist. Older homes that are well suited to and in continuum with the environment are what I prefer:



Astute observers of this campaign will have noticed that I do in fact see a crying need all over Montgomery for more Affordable Housing. Now, I am curious as to whether this structure below is a single-family home, or an apartment building?



This building is one of several of the same size and type which are located along Batchellor's Forest Road, not far from W.H. Farquahar Middle School, which I attended for three years in the very early 1970s.

I wonder, could it be possible to change zoning regulations and the affordable-housing or moderately-priced dwelling units ("MPDU") regulations to require: that if such large buildings are built on lands that previously were semi-rural or mostly undeveloped, one of six such buildings should be zoned for multiple-family occupancy? Thus, if there were six buildings of the size of the one shown above, one of those six could be home to rental tenants or condominium residents.

I do not at all suggest that such large buildings with MPDUs be subsidized at taxpayer expense to house the indigent amid the wealthy. I am proposing that such large buildings could house established small working-class families or families of young professionals just embarking on their careers.