It gets exhausting seeing the same NIMBY talking points trotted around every once in a while. I guess the "new developments are just luxury housing" talking points have started to smell so we're back to the good old "character of the neighborhood."

Taking a look at the "character of the neighborhood" in South Bay and I couldn't be more thrilled that developers are putting up inoffensive boxes rather than some rehash of "Spanish/Mediterranean revival" that seemed to dominate circa 2000-2015. I have a little more hope that these "bland boxes" won't look garishly outdated in a generation. And that's neglecting the irony entirely of "European" styling applied to single family sprawl.

EDIT: Spoke too soon, "For many people, 5-over-1s have come to symbolize the most painful aspects of today’s housing crisis — stand-ins for gentrification, corporate landlords and excessively high rents." Do better, NYT.