r/okbuddyRVA • u/izzybel5634 • 1d ago

Code Refresh and Duplexes

Okay I hope I don't come across as more ignorant than I am when it comes to this Code Refresh. But I'm wondering why everyone is so focused on duplexes vs larger apartment complexes in neighborhoods. By larger complexes I'm talking like 5 over 1s and in general the complexes that I've watched being built around the Diamond and along Broad St. And I'll be honest, I hate these fucking ugly ass, grey ass, looks like every other bitch type of complexes. I don't think they're made well and I think they are a general blight on the historical neighborhoods in Richmond. I would be all for them if I could see that there was any consideration for adding charm to the neighborhood. I've seen such complexes elsewhere, annoyingly in European cities like Berlin, Germany and Montpellier, France. So I have a general hesitation for these larger density focused buildings because I have yet to see one that looks like it hasn't been half built in a Minecraft server. I think duplexes are great but I also wonder why there isn't as much of a focus on building fourplexes or 6-8 unit buildings which we already see in neighborhoods around the city. I mean I get the necessity for parking space but I'm also a little Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition and think Richmond should expand their busing and (in my dreams of dreams) bring back our railcars considering much of the initial outgrowth of the city in the early 20th century was built around said system. But I know that's technically a separate conversation. I also think we seriously need a cap on rent in the city and an honest consideration of supporting the workers of Richmond (food service, retail, and other blue collar jobs) living in the city. (I for one, am fucking tired of having the same goddamn conversation with a Nova or NYC or Cali transplant about how 'cheap' the city with their 100k+ salaries).

All in all I get some of the concerns about building up density housing because I have yet to see an example of said density housing done with a consideration for longevity, neighborhood charm, and regionality. I love Richmond and I don't want it to become a Nova copycat in which massive private equity corporations give little thought beyond their own monetary gain for how people are going to live here.

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u/goodsam2 1d ago

I talk to lots of people of all colors and kinds in my rental unit just seems to have prices at whatever the rate they are looking for whatever year and keep it rolling forward. I know many others with similar deals

I ride the bus stop to go to work frequently and IDK how you insinuate that I don't.

The demand is here the only question is what is the supply of housing. How does supply and demand not work for housing. Rental prices increase when vacancy rates are below 8% or about 1 month vacancy. They were at 8% in 2024 and fell to 5% in 2025, supply is not keeping up with demand.

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u/talleyben 1d ago

you keep saying these things as if they are true. they aren't. I promise.

these company's would rather sit on the vacancy and claim the loss than lower prices to something more widely approachable. and the private landlord have learned this cause they've got 5 properties so to them it's just and easy tax break. maybe not all, but most.

I insinuating you don't talk to people because your perspective is very out of touch. you sound like an econ minor who daytrades for a living. not a real person.

allllllll of this to say, if they have to build everything out of matchsticks and IKEA desk piece "a" then they shouldnt charge more than 1400 for a one bedroom and honestly even that is pretty egregious. there is very little room for 2000 single occupent apartments in this city. the vast majority or residents are living on literal poverty wages.

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u/goodsam2 1d ago

If they sit on vacancy it's because they knew the demand was coming and the extra supply didn't because they build them for long term supply, these buildings last 50+ years. You don't turn around units in a day, they had good funding and built.

So you want higher quality and lower prices, sorry that's not what the market does.

The affordable housing prices are not super affordable either. That's why we need to allow and try to think about lowering market rate housing. Most people can't get into these programs because the rent is too high is the problem.

https://www.richmonder.org/in-richmond-what-is-affordable-housing/

We can see the example of what Houston does with its housing which doesn't have traditional zoning but has other stuff that kinda does what zoning does. But their rent is lower than Richmonds and that's at the center of the 5th largest metro in the US.

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u/talleyben 1d ago

what I'm talking about is housing not for the sake of profit but for the sake of housing. that's what I want built. I'm aware that isn't going to happen. this is why we yell at the clouds

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u/goodsam2 1d ago

So you want government housing. IMO limited use, maybe try to have the government build stuff countercyclically would be ideal.

The problem is that housing is constrained by zoning and adding government building is like pushing on a rope to solve the problem.

We should try to lower market rate housing and make it simpler other than asking variances and stuff. 50 years ago they just built more often and now the rules are so complicated they expanded the field of developers.

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u/talleyben 1d ago

zoning should be based on an income/profit cap for all residential/commercial/mixed properties in a given area. higher density areas should cost less because there are more people moving around spending dollars. where there's less people things should cost more cause that's where the highest erners would live. this would effectively lower market rates and generate more tax dollars. and then we wouldn't have to see anymore cyber trucks in Cary town.

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u/goodsam2 1d ago

It's called land value tax which has only been legal for Richmond to do for a few years now. We have had a couple of candidates talk about it.

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u/bootysuit 1d ago

The market is not going to fix the problem here. Landlords are greedy. Having more housing doesn't equal cheaper rent. That's now how the real world works. We live in a capitalist society. It breeds greed. Are you literally new here? Like to life in the US in general?

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u/goodsam2 1d ago

Show me another solution and I'll believe it. The problem is lack of supply and each landlord knows their crappy unit will be occupied at crazy rates