City Cuts Cousins Out of Family

I'm enough of a civic republican that I think municipalities ought to be given a lot of latitude in governing local land use and living arrangements, but this is a scary reminder of the kind of mischief communities can create using that power. The city of Manassas, Virginia, has amended its housing code so as to define "family" (for purposes of determining who can live in a "single-family home") so as to exclude nephews and nieces living with aunts and uncles.

This story's about a lot of things: it's about the American valorization of the nuclear family; it's about the, ummm, complicated relationship places like Manassas have with the illegal immigrant community; it's about William Fischel's homevoter hypothesis; it's even, partially, about genuine concerns with overcrowding.

Anyway, an interesting read, especially for anyone into land use law and policy.

(original link via the Corner)