Currently quarantining on the Jersey Shore at my late grandfather's house. My contact with others will be limited & I'm just going to be reading and doing solo bike rides. That being said, I'd like to make a thread of Urbanism and the Jersey Shore.

The Jersey Shore has such a high potential for housing and to be an engine to keep NJ going for years to come. The lots are smaller than your average NJ burb and the northern shore mostly abuts the North Jersey Shore Line. There are a few things that stand in its way though.

First is the eternal foe, Single Family Zoning. Much of the shore once featured 2-3 family homes, boarding houses, or ADUs. My grandfather's house was the latter. The rooms still have their numeration.

Over the years, shore towns rezoned and what used to house many, even on vacations, housed fewer and fewer.

My Grandmother meanwhile lives in the remnant of the old ADUs. Way back when garage apartments were legal and allowed the space above the garage to be used for living. My grandmother was able to sell her her house in the front to my uncle and he rents it to her at below market

This allows her to live within her means while my uncle is able to be there to help out and it helps pay the property taxes. The problem? You'll never see these again because the town banned them. This town is incredibly walkable and bikable and had a nice downtown.

This is anecdotal evidence that if you want your town to retain people, you need to provide an option for empty nesters to downgrade on the same property and get their children to move into the larger home.

My hometown can't retain people that were raised there because it became stupid expensive and the land use is super restrictive. My parents had to seek a variance for a non-habitable shed recently and they live on ten acres of farmland.

But enough about that. This thread will feature more Shore thoughts while I'm down here and I'll be adding them as the days go along.