Quote:
Originally posted by sgtclub
But aren't there other types of zoning restrictions? This is not my area, but in SF there are all sorts of restrictions on how high you can build (which, incidentally, contributes to the housing shortage, which spikes rents, etc.). So if I have a bay view which would disappear if the height restriction was removed, doesn't this increase the value of my property?
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Yeah, we can start getting into types of zoning restrictions, but the debate was initially around single family/multifamily and minimum lot size restrictions, or at least that's what I assume fringey was hacked off about.
Of course, if the height restriction is removed for the guy in front of you, it will also be removed for you, so you then built another level after he does. It's mutually beneficial. Everyone would like to have the highest deck and best view of the bay, but you end up with a height war in the process, so by restricting everyone you save money and end up in the same place. It's like going to a football game and wondering why everyone stands up to watch, when everyone could sit down and get the same view.
So, I think you can generalize the principles here: Zoning laws that restrict ways in which you use your property, either for function or in form (height, density--max sq. feet, set backs, etc.) all are a solution to a collective action problem that prevents people from expropriating to themselves the value of a given area.
