By Richard Tomlinson

It was found that 74 percent of Americans ranked homeownership as the highest gauge of prosperity according to the Bankrate Survey. This American dream is being destroyed by the Myth called "affordable housing". About thirty years ago, California was the land of affordable housing. That has changed due to climate change and land-use regulations which has driven up the prices that are now unaffordable to build most middle-class single family homes.

Homeownwership accounts for approximately 2/3 of middle-income wealth and net worth. The Census noted ten fold lower homeownership rates among blacks and hispanics than white or asian homeowners.

Progressives feel single-family zoning laws limit affordable housing and tend to perpetuate income inequity, segregation and racism. This is 2022 (not Jim Crow era) where even in Atlanta, 70% blacks and hispanics live in single-family suburbs. In 53 American metropolitan areas with a million people, 66% of blacks and hispanics live in lower density suburbs. Land use regulations only push up housing costs which are disadvantageous to blacks and hispanics. Many people who start their own business use their house equity to fund this dream.

For the environmentalist, single-family housing is more damaging to the environment as not the wisest use of the land. It encourages people to have more children which strains the environment. Census Bureau corroborates that high-density neighborhoods have fewer children. An Australian study showed suburban homes are more environmentally friendly due to solar roof panels for renewable energy.

What about taxes? High-density housing would generate more revenue than single-family housing on a per acre basis. This makes it advantageous to rezone for high-density housing in the name of "affordable" housing. A neighborhood should have a say in what happens to the character of the neighborhood.

Lane Kendig of the Kendig Keast Collaborative Firm argues that ending single-family zoning will not end income-driven segregation. Instead of changing existing zoning laws which homeowners relied upon when buying in a certain district, we should focus on undeveloped land and replacing conditional zoning rules that invite local opposition with performance-based zoning . This type of zoning relies on the nature of the area. It preserves the natural features as lakes, wetlands, etc. while maintaining a density appropriate for that land use. Perhaps BOCC should follow this zoning method for future undeveloped lands and leave the present zoning of our neighborhoods alone in Citrus County.