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Comment by vadym909 | Hacker News Reader

Build Baby Build! I was first aghast when I saw the new big apartment buildings coming up on El Camino Real and San Antonio Ave in Mountain View and Sunnyvale- with barely 1-5 feet set back from the the sidewalk. Then I realized which side of the table I was and I was like Fuck It. It may not be pretty, someone pulled a fast one on the Inspector/Panel/whoever but they are helping me with making more housing avbl and hopefully rents more affordable.

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Setbacks are very often a complete waste of space. I think www.strongtowns.org has some articles explaining the details.

I believe these are streets with CalTrans right of way, which means the ROW extends the whole sidewalk. They (or MV) likely require the setback at property lines as a matter of course, and in turn the developer would want that space for balconies or bay windows or whatever that they can't hang over the line.

What's wrong with no/tiny setbacks? Seems inevitable that you'll use space more efficiently for stuff as an area gains population and densifies.

Plus it's a million times better than enormous parking lots in front of every business/strip mall. Those things are majorly hostile to any transportation mode other than cars.

No setbacks, in many people's opinion is that it creates a tunnel like effect on the street and cuts out light on the lower floors shops and offices. Its also not the norm in the Area.

I guess setbacks are a 'nice to have' if you are an owner in the area. As an overpaying renter, I couldn't care less.

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