Where the Suburbs End

[Zorro]

A single-family home from the 1950s is now a rental complex and a vision of California’s future.

“More luxury at lower cost.” The pitch rolled across the cover of a brochure that introduced thousands of aspiring homeowners to Clairemont Villas, a San Diego subdivision that promised new homes in a world without trade-offs.

“Private and protected.” “Beauty and convenience.” A single-family house in a quiet suburb — but just a few minutes’ drive from new schools and a new shopping center along with downtown and the beach.

It was a California fantasy. Over six colorful pages the brochure sold buyers on an indoor-outdoor lifestyle where the living room opened to a yard and children played behind a redwood fence.

The fairy tale ended with the map to an address on Clairemont Drive. That’s where a row of model houses sat bunched up on a corner, waiting to be walked through.

Sixty-five years later, Margie Coats, 79, still remembers the tour. Her father drove the six of them — two parents, four sisters — to a weekend showing where in her teenage naïveté she asked a salesperson if the furniture was included. The family paid $13,250 for Lot 118 and a year later moved into 5120 Baxter Street. This was in 1957, back when the surrounding Clairemont neighborhood was booming with new subdivisions and mass-produced suburbs were still a national experiment.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/business/economy/suburbs-housing-density.html

"Three on a lot" is already pretty common in parts of LA where older ranch homes were once built (and subsequently demolished), and each unit nearing (if not exceeding) $1M (for maybe 1500 sq. ft.). It's great if one bought their house decades ago, not so great for younger people looking to buy a home.