AFFORDABLE HOUSING Cheaper, plus no amenities! As a longtime resident of Minneapolis, I'm interested in proposals for "affordable" housing. The March 23 article about a planned condo development near the Guthrie Theater caught my attention, particularly the drawings of the development as originally planned and as now envisioned to be affordable to more people ("Condos more can afford"). The differences were striking. Apparently people who can afford less than $1 million for a condo don't need light, air or green space, and certainly not interesting architectural detail, balconies or parking. Indeed the building looks more like an office building (perhaps for government) built anywhere, not anyone's home. Like most other multiunit buildings slapped up in Minneapolis in recent years, this one would edge right up to the sidewalk and apparently have no boulevard. Snow clearance doesn't seem to be a consideration for such buildings — even here in Minnesota. Only the "affordable" building's lower height is a positive feature between the two concepts. Perhaps that's intended to protect the views of buildings for the more affluent?