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Imgbaah t1_j88n552 wrote

Reply to comment by gingerbreadguy in Maintain the integrity of our town! Preserve Freeport’s charming and historic parking lots! by bitesandcats

I'm simply saying this isn't NIMBYism - its people who like their small communities resisting the density and all that goes with it. If I lived in a small town and liked it and saw it rather quickly turning urban I'd probably resist too.

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gingerbreadguy t1_j88obrl wrote

I can sympathize with that but what does happen if you don't increase supply in a desirable place, is that prices shoot up. So if you don't support developing more housing, get ready for rents to rise, house prices to rise, small businesses struggling or shutting down due to rents and issues with worker housing, friends and family getting priced out of the community and having to move far away. I mean, you will still have the buildings themselves technically, but over time you won't have the community itself because of affordability issues. It will all be rich transplants. And, respectfully, I think it is NIMBYism. Just maybe you don't think NIMBYism is always bad, and it's your right to have that opinion.

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Imgbaah t1_j88qti9 wrote

Not that I don't think it's bad, I just think it's inevitable - the people who already live there and own their homes don't see or care about rent prices but they would see their home values going down when a huge apartment complex gets built next door. (and I'm not suggesting that's because of income level, it's because of density, traffic, noise, maybe they like their privacy or space etc.). They are protecting their investments.

I can see both sides on this one - I know people who've struggled to find housing they can afford, I also see how someone whose lived on a quiet street in a quiet town for years may not want a big apartment building built next door because it would have an impact on their home value and enjoyment of their property (no longer quiet).

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gingerbreadguy t1_j88vyeu wrote

I can understand that also. But as far as property value goes, if dense development is permitted these homeowners could end up with unprecedented wealth for retirement, their families, etc. when/if it's time to downsize. But to your point, not everything is about money.

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