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If you don’t follow housing and zoning issues, no one will blame you. There are two categories of people: the YIMBYs and the NIMBYs. Or, more properly, the “Yes In My Backyard” folks and the “Not In My Backyard” folks. Generally, these two groups can be divided on the grounds of density or increased development. The YIMBYs don’t see a problem with adding density in existing housing areas, whereas the NIMBYs generally oppose adding density in less dense areas.
Let’s propose a low-rise apartment/condominium building. Something simple:12 units, two floors, building no taller than 35 feet, and occupying one acre of land. Using Atlanta, GA, as an example, let’s look at how this building fits into existing land use. This could easily fit on land zoned R-1 (minimum lot size 2 acres) or R-2 (minimum lot size one acre). However, both plots are zoned for single-family detached housing. And let me tell you, finding a two-acre lot of land in Atlanta will be an expensive endeavor.
NIMBYs would likely oppose this theoretical project. The arguments would generally rely on the existing restrictive zoning prohibiting such a project, with a likely addition the project would be detrimental to the character of the neighborhood. They would engage in their neighborhood planning unit (a unique organization in Atlanta initially designed to elicit community involvement for land use and planning) and work against any rezoning attempts to allow more density in their neighborhood. This opposition would likely extend to the Zoning Review Board (an entity designed to review rezoning applications) and the Board of Zoning Adjustments (an entity designed to approve minor exceptions to zoning codes like setbacks or height restrictions).
Meanwhile, the YIMBYs would also engage with these organizations to approve the project. On either an R-1 or R-2 lot, the height restriction is 35 feet. Presumably, this project could be designed to be hidden density. This would cause the structure to resemble the other structures in the neighborhood. For the most part, YIMBYs love hidden density because, in this example, we would take one or two acres, which would have housed a single family, and convert to one that can hold 12. Density increased 1200 percent, but the footprint and style of the building has not changed. Using the Atlanta zoning requirements on an R-1 lot there is a little over 21,000 sq ft of land to build on with the required setbacks and yards. For the R-2 lot, there is a little more than 15,000 sq ft for a building.
A quick Zillow search for properties in Atlanta with two acres or more of land yields mostly properties in the $1 million or more range. Looking at what would likely be R-2 lots yields more affordable options in parts of the city; most are still above the $1 million threshold. A family must take home almost $200,000 annually to adhere to the recommended 30 percent rule on the mortgage for a $1 million home. This assumes a 20 percent down payment of $200,000, an interest rate of six percent, and no escrow for taxes, fees, or insurance.
There are certainly professions where this annual income is not particularly extraordinary, but for a couple of teachers in their late 20s, this is impossible with their salary. A teacher in Atlanta Public Schools (APS) with five years of experience and a bachelor’s degree will make $71,237 gross for the 2024-2025 school year. Two APS teachers married and filing jointly with no dependents will net $110,162.40 for the year, and that doesn’t even consider the cost of health/vision/dental/AD&D insurance or contributions to a retirement plan.
Given that, the most they should pay for rent or a mortgage is $2754.06. There is no way they could afford the million-dollar home with the monthly mortgage of $4,796. But a unit in the 12-unit hidden-density condo building on the same plot of land? That would be affordable, and the neighbors would have the added benefit of their kid’s teachers being able to live in the same neighborhood as the school in which they work.
This type of housing is often called “missing middle” or workforce housing in expensive zip codes. Frankly, it should be common sense to allow more density in an area that has a housing shortage. If we want the American Dream to be attainable and not a Boomer pipe dream, then we need to take a fundamentally different approach and embrace the YIMBYs. Otherwise, our cities will resemble San Francisco with limited density, limited development, and sky-high living costs.
The Math section
Here are the calculations used for the article so you can check my work.
Using Google’s mortgage calculator for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for a $1 million dollar home with $200,000 down to avoid private mortgage insurance yields a monthly mortgage cost of $4,796. Using Wolfram Alpha to calculate the monthly income required for $4,796 to be 30 percent, Wolfram Alpha responded with an estimate of $15,986.67. Multiplied by 12 for an annual income of $191,840.
To determine the take-home pay for the two teachers, I used ADP’s paycheck calculator and the Atlanta Public School’s FY25 teacher salary schedule. I assumed a semi-monthly paycheck, married filing jointly, zero dependents, and no extra withholding. This yielded a take-home pay of $2,295.05. Multiplied by 24 for the number of paychecks in the year and then again by two for two earners yielded $110,162.40. Additionally, no deductions were taken for benefits or retirement contributions.
