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Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: August 19th, 2023

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  • I agree with this, but also want to point out that gas stations are a poor substitute for a corner grocer or bodega. They are simply too large and require too much land for the function they are serving. Zoning rightfully mandates that they can’t be on the bottom floor of a larger building due to the dangers posed by gasoline and they require lots of space for cars to park.

    Essentially, we have forfeited a lot of valuable space to dispensing gasoline and significantly diminished the best features of corner stores by making them serve both functions. I would be curious to see what would happen if gas stations were forbidden from serving anything other than gas in high density areas. I would assume there would be much fewer of them, and each one would be optimized for efficiency to take up as little space as possible. We would also likely see the reemergence of neighborhood bodegas and corner grocers to fill the gap.







  • Not that I don’t emphasize with your struggle - I just want to point out that there are people stuck in those “starter homes” with 5 or more kids who could really benefit from a 5 bedroom upgrade because they’re at a point in their lives where they can afford it and they need it. The housing crisis we’re living through produces victims up and down the income ladder.

    Also this whole problem can be traced back to our absurd zoning laws blanketing most of California and the US. Still the boomers’ fault, but not for decisions they’re making today. Most of them are screwed right along with the rest of us. :(












  • An anecdote:

    My high-paying tech job wants us back 2 days a week. I intentionally bought a house near a train that will get me to the downtown office in about 15 minutes while many of my coworkers live in the distant suburbs where commuting will require a lot more time and effort.

    Despite this, I STILL don’t go into the office. The biggest reasons:

    1. Nobody is there - it’s a ghost town.
    2. I’m far less productive while I’m there because I have to leave early to pick up my kids from school.
    3. My boss doesn’t go in at all - ever - due to extremely valid health reasons (his wife is undergoing cancer treatment).
    4. His boss moved out of state. Like way, way out of state. He’s got a nice office with a beautiful view. He doesn’t and can’t use it.
    5. My boss’s boss’s boss - (the CTO) moved to Florida and, rumor has it, lives full-time on his yacht.

    I mean… at some point we just have to acknowledge that our giant, empty office space would be much better suited as housing.