In December 2016, we wrote about the Minneapolis City Council and how they voted to eliminate single-family zoning, and instead to allow residential homes to include up to three dwelling units. We warned that this is a cautionary tale, for anyone who [wrongly,] assumes local politics aren’t important. In a stunning move that brings the city of Minneapolis one step closer to Socialism, the Minneapolis City Council, composed of 11 Democrats and one Green Party member, decided to level the housing playing field for everyone. It doesn’t matter how hard you’ve worked, sacrificed or saved to purchase a home in a safe, single-family neighborhood, the city council has decided that anyone can move into your neighborhood.
The SFGate reported that the decision came as part of a sweeping plan to propel the city into the future by addressing issues like housing, racial equity, and climate change. The plan, called Minneapolis 2040, drew thousands of public comments, “Don’t Bulldoze Our Neighborhoods” yard signs and a last-minute lawsuit, but ultimately passed on a 12-1 vote.
Only two years ago, we shared a stunning story about a mob of up to 30 young Somali men who paraded through one of Minneapolis’s more upscale neighborhoods, yelling disparaging comments and terroristic threats against homeowners.
A female resident of the neighborhood, obviously shaken in a TV interview, related how she was screamed at by a Somali man who threatened to kidnap and rape her.
“They were screaming at the house that they were going to kidnap you and they were going to rape you,” one Minneapolis resident told KSTP TV. “It was a very traumatizing experience.”
Somalis living in Minneapolis are almost all Sunni Muslims, and residents of the Lake Calhoun area say this isn’t the first time a group of Somali men has made an intimidating march through their neighborhood, which is filled with million-dollar homes.
Now, according to the Daily Caller, Democrats in Virginia may override local zoning to bring high-density housing, including public housing, to every neighborhood statewide — whether residents want it or not.
The measure could quickly transform the suburban lifestyle enjoyed by millions, permitting duplexes to be built on suburban lots in neighborhoods previously consisting of quiet streets and open green spaces. Proponents of “upzoning” say the changes are necessary because suburbs are bastions of segregation and elitism, as well as bad for the environment.
The move, which aims to provide “affordable housing,” might be fiercely opposed by local officials throughout the state, who have deliberately created and preserved neighborhoods with particular character — some dense and walkable, others semi-rural and private — to accommodate people’s various preferences.
But Democrats tout a state-level law’s ability to replace “not in my backyard” with “yes, in your backyard.”
House Delegate Ibraheem Samirah, a Democrat, introduced six housing measures Dec. 19, coinciding with Democrats’ takeover of the state legislature in November.
“Single-family housing zones would become two-zoned,” Samirah told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Areas that would be impacted most would be the suburbs that have not done their part in helping out.”
