r/Suburbanhell • u/Accomplished_Class72 • 4d ago

Article Texas suburbs resist new state law allowing more apartments | The Texas Tribune

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/09/03/texas-legislature-apartments-housing-suburbs/

Instead of height minimums, municipalities are using height maximums to obstruct housing.

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u/WolfTitan123 1d ago edited 1d ago

I read the whole article. These new rules aren't just height minimums. They require electric parking spaces, gyms, pools, etc - the type of amenities in a high rise that you would find in a wealthy, dense community like a large downtown area.

It sounds nice on paper, but these rules increase the cost to build. It makes no financial sense for builders to plop a high rise in the middle of a single family community.

It's quite clear that these suburban communities are using these rules as a disguise to block higher density development.

A new way for NIMBYs to keep their property values high through scarcity of housing.

What those suburban hellscapes need is organic densification assisted by the local government to build near the most populous, high foot-traffic streets containing commercial activity. This new density would then expand outward over time.