Same debate in our area. They want to shoehorn an 8-plex onto a busy road on a tiny lot & give it 4 parking spaces?! Not a walkable area. Rent $1800 for 1 bdr - not exactly affordable. Cities want the tax revenue - dont care about what residents want. Consultants will be long gone when poo hits fan.
And they don't want to raise taxes to pay for the additional infrastructure that is needed to support these new homes which never seems to include public transportation to address traffic congestion. Planning for infrastructure is not a pay as you go situation.
The garbage man said the lot would be too small to get the front-end loader into it to pick up the dumpster that would be on the edge of the 4-car parking lot, right next to the bedroom window of the house that butted up aganst the lot. City council didnt care. They wanted the tax $$.