Here is my first post on this blog for the new year. Now that I am semi-retired, I'm going to start concentrating on being more active in promoting affordable housing and increasing the quantity and quality of our public transportation issues here in Prince George's County, MD.
Let's start with housing issues here in College Park. According to Zillow, the average price of a house in CP is around $335,000. Rents run around $2000+ each month. That is a lot of money. If I were looking for a house today, I would not be able to afford to live in this area. I would end up way out in the exurbs, and have to rely on an automobile to get myself around everywhere. That's not my style. I did buy my house back in 1982. I've refinanced it a few times, and I like where my mortgage payment is right now. Yes, I would love to live in a high rise building right next to the Metro...Downtown Silver Spring comes to mind, but moving would not be cost effective. Therefore, I have to compromise somewhere.
I am going to stay put, and hope that Metro and PG County's The Bus will increase the bus service in this area. It would be nice if the J4 bus ran from the College Park Metro station to Bethesda all day, instead of only during rush hour. We also need the Purple Line, and we have needed it for quite some time. Driving to the Metro and paying to park is the compromise that I have to endure at this time.
The demographics of College Park are changing. When I moved into my house back in 1982, the neighborhood was about 95% working class white. Now it is about 50% white, and not just working class. There are a lot of professionals and semi-professionals moving into the area, because even with a median house price of $330,000, it's a lot cheaper than either DC or Montgomery County.
I see the value of the houses in this area going up, because with Amazon moving over to Chrystal City area in Virginia, there is going to be a huge ripple effect of other companies moving into this area. There is not enough housing expansion. Therefore, it's the law of supply and demand. That affects the price.
Zoning laws are going to have to change, so that the emphasis is on building what is commonly referred to as the "missing middle." Prior to World War II, housing for the middle class in the cities was part of the cities' master plans. After the war, the concentration was to expand housing into the suburbs, and make this automobile reliant.We need to swing the pendulum back in the other direction. To lure people back into the cities, you have to make it affordable, safe, and have good schools. It's going to be quite a challenge.
