Not always a solution. Most FC i've been part of past couple years are only allowing the owner of their "officers" to access gardening plots.
Then you're in the wrong FCs. I let any of my members use the gardens all they have to do is ask. Mind you only one person has the ability to use them at a time to prevent trolls griefing ( removing ) / stealing plants. Finding the right FC can take time. Most FC leaders & officers are greedy when it comes to gardens/workshops when there is no need to be. So I don't disagree that most FCs are indeed exactly like what you've stated.
Unless you're part of the FC when it's first made, or KNOW someone high up in it, and they aren't using the garden constantly, then odds are you won't get access to it, and especially won't get access to any of the project room stuffs.
Big thing I have an issue with now is the fact that an alt of mine can't get a house now. I THOUGHT they were going to make it so that if you have a main with a house, the alts can use it like your main could. I guess not. That's gonna go over REAL well when they start booting people from their excess housing.
i think a way that the housing can be helped is to look at one of the reason why it was implemented in the first place. it was made as a gil sink. something large individuals and FC's can get that give them some features but removes gil from the game. but the price of housing to my knowledge hasn't gone up since 2.0, but we are making more gil, and earning it hand over fist now. for a 1st class large it's still just 50 million gil. for someone who is diligent, that's not hard to make. the black market housing was right in how they managed to sell the houses but the problem was that gil wasn't removed from the system. I feel houses should be sold as a silent auction. the houses would go to the wealthy, and the money spent is removed from the game. not going to make someone else richer. you will still see smalls go for 10, 20, or even 30 million gil, but at least that money that is being removed from the market helping divert inflation.
I completely lost confidence in the housing so spent a good chunk of my gil and only have 12mil on me now :/
The house plot are much lower after the adjusted them some time ago. I remember when FC house was implemented we had to raise... uh 200M maybe? to afford a large.
I don't think it was never confirmed, but i really hope they look into fixing that. I have houses on my alts and they being grandfathered so i'm okey but i would probably prefer just able to share to my 'main'.
You know...
Originally, the current 'housing' was FC only.
And was meant to stay that way, with an alternate, cheaper, housing system for individuals.
Like the apartments are now.
The apartments should have been made way back when.
Back when SE was implementing personal housing, saying that they would be cheaper...
But, they went with the quick and easy implementation of just allowing individuals to purchase FC housing.
And that design mistake has haunted the housing system ever since.
And can not be rectified.
These limitations are a great step forward in making housing fairer for more players overall.
Personally, I don't own a plot.
I just have an apartment.
My only real complaint is that I can't properly garden.