On Thu, 2004-04-15 at 22:46 -0500, Tim Erickson wrote: > room to grow. Also, IT IS TRUE, that MANY people WANT suburban life > and not urban life.
The largest problem for us is finding housing that we can depend not to need major cost updates/maintenance in the urban core. Sometimes it seems like people are artificially keeping prices high by buying homes where they aren't completely informed of the costs coming-around-the-corner. We had a realtor in a house we were looking at honestly tell us that we could get another 10 years out of a 25 year old roof with water spots in the attic. (with half installed insulation!) The same thing happens in suburban homes, but with less frequency -- many are built with techniques to reduce ongoing maintenance costs. The median cost of housing in Minneapolis and St. Paul has risen to near insanity -- average people can't afford average homes anymore. Two income households are the norm just to hold the house payment down. To achieve the American Dream the region continues to force people outward. Transportation policy hasn't even attempted to meet this demand for the next two decades. I worry about commutes (from one of the worst counties in the nation for that, Anoka) getting worse over time. Not because of lack of roads or transit -- but because there is a lack of a long-term transportation policy that the state is willing to commit to over 25 years. The current policy is a farce that can't possibly support growth in the region adequately. The major worry for me is that housebuilding in the 'burbs is focused on $300,000+ houses. The 175,000->250,000 range is focused on townhomes (in some cases detached villas). I've got a feeling many people are buying more house than they need for more than they can afford. -- Scott Dier <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> KC0OBS http://www.ringworld.org/ -- http://www.railworks.org/ -- http://publictransportation.org/ -- Stop "playing political splat ball," support the Northstar Train! _______________________________________________ Twin Cities Metropolitan Issues Forum http://www.e-democracy.org/tcmetro Rules: Sign posts with real name. You may not post more than twice a day.
