I agree, with the comment and the article's introduction - protecting property values has practically become a divine right, and it is in direct conflict with *affordable* housing.
I think, as the article suggests, a good test is whether the people who work in a town, who make it run, protect it, provide services, etc., can afford and have a reasonable opportunity to live where they serve. How many of our police, firefighters, teachers, town employees, local business employees, etc. live here - or could - if they wanted to? I think Lincoln, as well as many other suburban towns in the region, fails that test. -Bob On Wed, Oct 18, 2023 at 2:27 PM John Mendelson <[email protected]> wrote: > I had a very different reaction to the article. Nowhere in the piece did > I discern that the Globe's Spotlight's team's thesis is that there is a > housing crisis for those looking for single-family homes. Rather, the crux > of the article (and this is just the first in a series) is summed up in the > introductory paragraphs below. > > John > > For Milton’s story is everywhere – it is the story of Boston’s pricey > suburbs, cocooned by restrictive single-family zoning rules that make > apartment and condo projects so hard to permit that they are rarely built. > > It is the story of a town, and region, that has for half a century doubled > down on the status quo, or made zoning even more restrictive, all but > guaranteeing that single-family home prices — rising more steeply here than > in any other state since 1980 — will remain shockingly high. > > The fallout from these outrageous home prices is a sort of economic > climate change, steadily making much of the region uninhabitable for those > of modest incomes. Expensive housing acts as a golden gate, and there is a > price to be paid for living in a gated community. > > This is the price: Across this region, the dream of suburban life is > largely foreclosed by lack of affordable options to the children of those > who live in the suburbs now, to the town employees who keep municipalities > humming, to newcomers who might bring new energies to town — and added > diversity of class and race. > > One fact became obvious in the course of this review: The sense of urgency > here does not match this brewing crisis. Not even close. > > One reason may be that swelling property values don’t feel like a crisis > for those who bought into the market years or decades ago, they feel like a > windfall. This region, Milton included, is awash in paper millionaires. > > But standing pat will suffocate hope — the hope of many now trying to > enter this mad housing market, from empty-nesters hoping to downsize in the > town they know, to newcomers seeking to buy a first home as careers and > prosperity grow. > > On Wed, Oct 18, 2023 at 1:15 PM Sara Mattes <[email protected]> wrote: > >> Yes -very inserting article. >> And very well written-very readable. >> >> But what is of special note is that the article calls it a crisis for >> those seeking *SINGLE FAMILY HOMES.* >> Those are the first examples they offer. >> >> And, then the pivot is to apartment developments and condos, with no >> equivalent documentation of demand…just the assertion. >> It is easy to document the demand for affordable units as there are >> waging lists. >> On the other hand, we are not documenting demand for market rate, >> especially high end units. >> It seems there is no discussion as to how to meet the noted demand for >> single family homes. >> >> Also of note is the graph of where there are a lot of building permits >> being pulled and where there are not, without also noting that lots of >> permits are being pulled where land is easier to come by, like the Denver >> area. >> >> The real challenge will be how to meet demand for single family homes in >> our area. >> >> >> >> >> >> ------ >> Sara Mattes >> >> >> >> >> On Oct 18, 2023, at 1:02 PM, Alice Waugh <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> The housing crisis since the 1960s and soaring prices... Chapter 40B... >> minimum lot sizes... triple deckers... and of course the Affordable Housing >> Act... this article has it all. Highly recommended to see the big picture >> in the Boston area with a focus on Milton. >> >> >> https://apps.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/special-projects/spotlight-boston-housing/milton-restrictive-zoning/ >> >> I believe you can read a few Boston Globe articles per month for free if >> you're not a subscriber. >> >> Alice Waugh >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> >> -- >> The LincolnTalk mailing list. >> To post, send mail to [email protected]. >> Browse the archives at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/. >> Change your subscription settings at >> https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. >> >> -- > The LincolnTalk mailing list. > To post, send mail to [email protected]. > Browse the archives at https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/private/lincoln/ > . > Change your subscription settings at > https://pairlist9.pair.net/mailman/listinfo/lincoln. > >
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