1924: @CityRichmondVA Director of Public Works Allen Saville extends a plea for "Zoning" to the Real Estate Men of Virginia https://books.google.com/books?id=-8EcAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA100&lpg=PA100&dq=allen+saville+richmond+zoning+ordinance&source=bl&ots=cj-tBO5VEc&sig=ACfU3U1nvDJgH-ajWpaQAYBHaCwbDk1TMg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi0j87qtNrtAhXJslkKHfQvCsMQ6AEwEnoECAoQAg#v=onepage&q=allen%20saville%20richmond%20zoning%20ordinance&f=false

The Real Estate Men have concerns.

I'm guessing this is all after Saville's "Necessity of Zoning" was published in the local paper https://twitter.com/LyleSollaYates/status/1010615122899951616?s=20

You're not stupid, you're just ignorant.

Don't worry Real Estate Men, Saville will list each of your objections and tell you why you're wrong. First up, will zoning be "extremely detrimental" to everyone (I assume we are talking about white people)?

First, many other cities have done this. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum

Second, people will happily accept injuries to their "health, safety or morals" but they would never allow the "depreciation of their property". We are Americans sir! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cui_bono 

Third, if zoning was so bad one of the 183 communities would have rescinded it in its "only eight years" history, but no one has. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_cost#Fallacy_effect

Fourth, if the zoning ordinance is bad we'll just change it to address "local injustices" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moving_the_goalposts

Fifth, it's not as bad as the others. Those people are monsters. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_to_moderation

All right, proved. Next argument to dispose with: banning many uses for city land and restricting others will "retard the normal growth"

Saville doesn't waste much time with this. Neither LA nor NYC is losing population (not what was argued). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inconsistent_comparison

Next Real Estate Men argument, this ordinance will make some property less valuable and "possibly" increase the value of other property. This is "absolutely unfair"

This one stings. Saville has three paragraphs to defend his honor.

Sure, there is "discrimination" in the new Richmond zoning code BUT there is an appeals process offering "mitigation" and "avoidance" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motte-and-bailey_fallacy

We finally get a real argument from Saville! The "most positive argument" for this new zoning code is to "stabilize values" and notes the detached residential single family use endangered by "invasion of foreign uses". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_by_example

To argue that other land uses won't see a loss of land value, Saville leans on quoting an unnamed zoning expert from NYC, who likewise cites an unnamed real estate broker. Powerful stuff. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_from_authority

We are selling stasis. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof_by_assertion Interesting comparison of Jackson Ward and Monument Avenue as the two real estate value extremes at this time.

Then Saville makes some more assertions without evidence. "increase the loan value on property"