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So you don't think there's a housing inventory shortage?
So does that mean we just continue to destroy land and populate the area to build more housing? Call me selfish and a boomer (even though I'm born in 1978) but I don't think more housing is necessarily the answer. Our roads, infrastructure, public transit system, hospitals and schools are full. Do you want more people and traffic around here? I don't.
I'm still not convinced that building will alleviate housing costs either...it's already been said here countless times that anytime a house is built it's a 3-4k sq ft house with all the bells and whistles.
Apartments houses and condos are cheaper but those seem to be temporary for people who ultimately want a SFH
Where will the inmates go? Maybe they'll get free hotel rooms too?
The article specifies where they'll go
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Article
MCI-Concord currently operates at 50 percent capacity with an incarcerated population of approximately 300, state officials said. MCI-Concord prisoners will complete a reclassification process in the coming months and be transferred to another facility.
So does that mean we just continue to destroy land and populate the area to build more housing? Call me selfish and a boomer (even though I'm born in 1978) but I don't think more housing is necessarily the answer. Our roads, infrastructure, public transit system, hospitals and schools are full. Do you want more people and traffic around here? I don't.
You also seem shocked at the prices of homes around here (look at any of the annual real estate observations threads that you participate in). So, what do you propose? Just not building anything ever again? What about the increased costs of everything that you complain about? The status quo clearly isn't working, you've given your opinion many times. I also think something needs to be done, even if there's no perfect, instant solution.
And to your other point about if they just build a bunch of mcmansions there - well, that's a bunch of people that otherwise might have bought a small starter home and tore it down. So in that sense, it would still be better than doing nothing.
For a prospective developer, this site has to be extremely appealing. For starters, there's direct Route 2 access. Additionally, West Concord Commuter Rail station is 1/2 mile away and is directly connected to the MCI property by the Bruce Freeman rail trail. So any resident commuters will have the freedom to drive all the way into town, drive a very short distance to the commuter rail, or leave the car parked at home and walk/bike to the train and the village center of West Concord along a pleasant path. There aren't many places this far out in the 'burbs that offer that type of commute flexibility and convenience.
I imagine that a large part of the inevitable NIMBY resistance to a private, mixed-use development here will center around increased traffic. But there's even some unique opportunity for the developer there. The Route 2 rotary has long been the bane of drivers' existence in that area. There have been several proposals to remove or realign it (like this one), but MCI Concord has been one of the significant obstacles in that process. A developer could assist with the realignment/replacement as a contingency for developing the land which would be a big step toward winning support.
It's a significant enough portion of land that they should be able to have some retail (and maybe some office), plenty of residential, and some publicly accessible green space. I hope this building is preserved too.
So does that mean we just continue to destroy land and populate the area to build more housing? Call me selfish and a boomer (even though I'm born in 1978) but I don't think more housing is necessarily the answer. Our roads, infrastructure, public transit system, hospitals and schools are full. Do you want more people and traffic around here? I don't.
We should take over universities, colleges, and other large institutions by eminent domain in Boston, and reconfigure those properties into affordable housing. We should do away with air bnbs in residential areas.
Large grammar, middle, and highschools should also be converted into housing and smaller neighborhood schools built to accommodate students locally.
Out of state and out of country investors and firms should not be able to buy up residential properties.
Not only would this provide additional housing for residents but it would also lessen traffic by having neighborhood schools instead of students traveling miles away from their homes.
I'm sure there are other changes that can also be made but this is a start.
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