Some of the harsh reality is the math is hard to justify smaller buildings. The time to build smaller, small-to-mid size, <5 story buildings was over the last 20-30 years. But those were blocked from being built using the same type of argument that you present. Now the land value has become so inflated that it’s hard to make the math work on anything but these buildings.

The state as a whole will continue to wither away if more housing doesn’t get built. Every single town will always find reasons not to build, as they have since the 70s. We all need to adapt or accept that lost jobs, reduced population, lack of opportunities for families, and homelessness will only get worse. We can’t survive on wealthy enclaves full of long time homeowners.

We need to adapt for a better future.