raggedtoad t1_j6k9i1q wrote on January 30, 2023 at 10:40 PM

Reply to comment by WelcomeToTheBough in Evictions in Maine shot up during 2022, with filings growing 27% by iwantmypinkshirtback

What the hell is "trickle down housing"? You're talking out of your ass.

If you allow developers to build nice, new townhouses in Westbrook for all the out-of-state tech bros to move into, it will free up apartments in all the older 4-6 unit buildings and the price pressure will be reduced. It's seriously the most basic supply and demand equation you could imagine.

The only issue is if developers are knocking down older housing stock to build new, but I'm not aware of that happening en masse.

WelcomeToTheBough t1_j6ka7h1 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 10:45 PM

no it doesn't! If you still have demand (which is only growing with people moving here) the rents stay up in the "older units". Your claiming prices trickle down! Again Cali rents aren't going down. Your premise that what will be built under new up zoning beats overall demand, show me that because its bs!

YIMBYS want it both ways

Free market extremism (build whatever basically)

and the magic claim it backfills demand, when the market doesn't mind people in the streets or at moms house! It cares about capturing max returns and renting to poor people doesn't pay for buildings!

raggedtoad t1_j6kihlg wrote on January 30, 2023 at 11:41 PM

So if we built 200,000 units of housing in Maine overnight, just for the sake of argument, your claim is that 200,000 people would appear out of nowhere and rents would continue to climb?

C'mon, man.

[deleted] t1_j6kkyu7 wrote on January 30, 2023 at 11:58 PM

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raggedtoad t1_j6ku00d wrote on January 31, 2023 at 1:04 AM

It's a debate strategy. I'm picking an absurd extreme to make a point, which is that reality lies somewhere between my extreme and what the person I'm arguing with is saying.

We can't have a rational debate based solely on platitudes and ideologies. I am 100% sure that more housing fixes housing shortages.

[deleted] t1_j6kvc38 wrote on January 31, 2023 at 1:14 AM

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raggedtoad t1_j6kwmso wrote on January 31, 2023 at 1:23 AM

If you even read my comment a few spots up this thread you'd already know my stance on that.

It doesn't matter if developers build higher end new stuff (which they largely will), because it still frees up older and less desirable supply which should be renting for a lot less than it is.

If you want the Old Port to look like it did in the 1970s, enact a bunch of restrictive rent control and lower income construction requirements and wait 20 years.

The Old Port is literally the charming hipster foodie destination it is because people with money want to live there...