J.C. Nichols - The Man Who Made the Suburbs White (Slate.com)
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kc_kr
thankgodhespretty
Good article, random questions:
Did J.C. Nichols build any cul-de-sacs? I can't think of any.
> And if Kansas City ever overturned single-family zoning (as cities like Minneapolis have), restrictive covenants in many Country Club District neighborhoods binding the land to single-family usage could still block affordable apartments—covenants that Nichols signed some 100 years ago.
Is this true? I thought some states (Oregon?) made all zoning upsized? So every SFH zone could now have duplexes...
Gino-Bartali
Property covenants place restrictions on lots beyond local/state restrictions.
Although previously these were used to prevent black people from ever owning those properties, those covenants were made unenforceable by law. So it depends if we pass laws that also void covenants regarding density.
JerrysWolfGuitar
Resident of a JC Nichols subdivision in OP. Cul-de-sacs abound. Not sure about KC proper, though.
ThePuzzleGuy77
This is so America. They’ve built a nice neighborhood here with good schools and awesome services. I am entitled to live here in Leawood. Build apartments here and make them cheap! We demand to ruin what you’ve built!
Gino-Bartali
Yeah, building cheap apartments really ruin your life don't they. That will literally kill you.
ThePuzzleGuy77
Cheap housing absolutely ruins a good neighborhood. Cheap housing brings crime, a decline in schools, increased litter, and lower property values. Then the people that made the neighborhood what it was have to move further out to build good schools and neighborhoods again. Until the people that trashed the last neighborhood show up demanding affordable housing in the new neighborhoods.
Responsible-Ad-7146
All those little statuary monuments and the like the obelisk fountain near Research Hospital or the marble water fountain bench at the zoo, were markers to tell black people to stay out. Another J.C. Nichols tactic. If you look at those monuments, they were all donated by racist organizations.
That book sounds so interesting, much more than it did when I thought it was just about Mahomes.