Workforce Housing law (wage, quality of life, live in)

[GregW]

Another possibility is to have employers pay wages high enough for their workers, besides white collar and executive, to live near the job. This would also apply to town governments. Either way the workers get more and the owners get less. That is my definition of fair.

[Valerie C]

Another Londonderry resident here. I am thankful for the 60 or so people that attended the May 13 meeting on this horrible idea of "workforce housing" to get it tabled. I am watching and waiting to see what the next move is going to be. Oh, and for the record, my family isn't even close to that median income of $90,000 a year that Greg mentions, but somehow we manage to live here in town, happily for now...

Greg, you may not be aware of the rental apartments on Constitution (take a left at the post office lights) and also the apartments on South Road, just across from South School. And if I'm not mistaken, also some condo or rental units presently ON Stonehenge. Perhaps the 3 or 4 trailer parks aren't considered "workforce housing" because they are owned and usually not rented? Either way, Londonderry doesn't WANT or NEED this. The ONLY winner in this entire farce is the developer, who is concerned only that his retirement money is tied up in the development of this land. Tell you what, I don't give a rat's patootti about his retirement money. If development is needed, let's try something that is going to attract people who are willing to work hard to get ahead. There are nice condo developments throughout town (you've mentioned that you live in one). If something is going to be developed, make it fit with the rest of the area.

Greg likes to tout the town that he lives in as a wealthy and exclusive suburb. Yes there are many well-off residents here. There are also many neighborhoods of modest single family or 'condex' style houses, townhouse style condominium units AND as stated above, a number of rental/low income housing.

The residents of this town really need to stand together on this one. Keep an eye on our elected officials to be sure that they represent OUR best interests as citizens, and not the cronies of the present state government. Get fired up, people, and maybe THIS issue will get Londonderry residents more involved in attending the various town meetings throughout the year.

Originally Posted by GregW

I have lived in Londonderry NH for 28 years and believe me there is no housing available for anyone making less than $20 per hour with overtime. Yes, we do have a couple of trailer parks but I do not know of any apartment buildings. I think there are some in Derry but not many.

With a median income of over $90,000 Londonderry classes as a very wealthy, hence, exclusive suburb. Apparently Clark Bush had to sacrifice to live in the sacred suburbs on his own sacred land and is terrified that somebody else might be able to move into town without paying the price he was charged. Too darn bad. We need to eliminate the economic discrimination and have a place for people from all levels of income work and live in our town. There are plenty of places available to build higher density SFH’s and/or apartment buildings but they are not allowed. I am not in favor of big lot exclusionary zoning and am not afraid to say so.

Nicolem, you've said it perfectly, and I wish I could rep you and Wanna. And thank you Clark Bush for bringing up this subject. IT REALLY DOES MATTER!!!!!!

[BF66389]

Didn't workforce housing already pass in the state and resultingly each town now has to designate zones for it?

I know at our town meeting there was a vote to designate where workforce housing could be (pro-actively) rather than waiting for the state to come in and provide "suggestions".

[Clark Bush]

the entire financial establishment was wrong, we are in a depression now, so I think a lot of these experts , telling us that slum housing is good, are wrong also. HOW CAN YOU HAVE WORKFORCE HOUSING WHENH THERE IS NO WORK ?one "expert " here who said he thinks Derry has some apartments ought to get his head away from his feed bag and take a look acros the street from Wal Mart, right behind Hadco(hadco used to be there, but Samina the competitor tore it down and killed 1000 jobs for Derry residents. THE LARGEST APARTMENT COMPLEX IN SOTHERN NH WAS SHOVED IN THERE BEFORE ZONING LAWS WERE IN PLACE, THATS WHAT THEY WANT TO PUT IN LONDONDERRY, THATS WHY DERRY HAS A PERMANENT TRAFFIC JAM, THE SULLIVAN APARTMENTS. HOW THEY GOOD THE LAND FROM HOOD, THE TOWN OWNED THE HOOD LAND, ILL NEVER KNOW, BUT DERRY AND LONDONDERRY HAVE BEAUCOUP APARTMENTS , READ ABOUT THEM IN THE CRIME PAGE EVERY DAY . WHAT ARE YOU , BLIND? I GUESS YOU ARE ONE OF THE INSIDERS GIVING OUT DISINFORMATION. IF YOU WANT TO LIVE WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE THE MONEY TO PAY RENT, WHY NOT MOVE TO CUBA, MAYBE THEY LET YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE RUN DOWN MANSIONS THEY STOLE FROM THE RICH. GO BUG CHESTER, AUBURN , PELHAM , ATIKINSON, WINDHAM LONDONDERRY AND DERRY HAVE AMPLE CHEAP HOUSING-TRAILER PARKS, RUN DOWN APARTMENTS, SINGLE HOUSES, CONDOS , WHY DON'T THESE BUILDERS WHO SUCK UP FED MONEY AND GET FREE LAND FROM US TAX PAYERS, WHY DON'T THEY GO BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM . GO BUG PEOPLE IN BEDFORD, HOLLIS, OR AMHERST, BRING IT TO YOUR OWN TOWN OR GETTWO JOBS IN A FACTORY LIKE I HAVE. THERE IS NO NEED FOR WORK FORCE HOUSING, THERE ARE NO JOBS AND POLIKCE AND FIREMEN MAKE MORE THAN THE AVERAGE TAXPAYER . THE DISINFORMATION IS POURING OUT OF THE ENEMY-MOST PEOPLE ARE BARELY ABLE TO PAY THEIR PROPERTY TAXES IN LONDONDERRY, FEW HOMES ARE TAKING IN 90, 000, STOP MAKING UP FAKE NUMBERS, WHERE DID THESE PEOPLE LEARN THEIR FACTS ? BERNIE MADOFF SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

[Clark Bush]

Im looking around for a part time job , everybody I know is unemployed, and this developer and the well healed Dem liberals from the seacoast come to MY TOWN and accuse ME of being too rich when I have no food on the table ?The developer from Bedford is eating good, the Seacoast Democrat never missed a meal, but they say Londonderry is too rich ?what are they NUTS . Go back to the Seacoast with your communist lies. Go back to bedford and build some slum housing there. WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO DICATE TO ME , AFTER IVE STARVED, FOUGHT , AND WORRIED MY LIFE JUST TO KEEP FROM BEING HOMELESS ? If I don't pay my bills, I'll be thrown out into the streets. And you people want ME to give you a free ride because you say IM making an imaginary hundred grand a year. ? LIVE FREE OR DIE, AND IVE BEEN WALKING A THIN LINE ALL MY LIFE.IT LOOKS LIKE THE DEM PARTY , WHO OUGHT TO BE RERENTING THE WORKING CLASS, NOW IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE COMMUNISTS, AND THE OTHER KOOKS. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY TOWN AND GO BACK TO THE SEACOAST WITH THE OTHER FLAKES. BUILD YOUR SLUMS IN BEDFORD. THERE ARE NO JOBS LEFT FOR SO CALLED WORKFORCE HOUSING. WHAT I THINK IS THAT THESE SANDWICH SHOPS AND MINIMUM WAGE SWEAT SHOPS PUSH THIS ALSO. WELL IF THEY WANT TO USE SLAVE LAABOR, ILL WORK FOR NOTHING. JUST LET THE FEDS OR STATE COME IN AND PAY THE BILLS . PAY FOR THE SCHOOLS, THE POLICE AND FIREMEN, IF YOU WANT TO BE COMMUSNIST, DON'T JUST GIVE FREE HOUSING AWAY , PAY THE ENIRE BILL, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE OR GET OUT OF DODGE. IF SOMEBODY GETS FREE HOUSING , I WANT SOMETHING. LET THE FEDS PAY FOR OUR SCHOOLS, MAYBE ID LIKE A WELFARE CHECK TOO, IF ANYBODY DESERVES SOMETHING, THE GOOD CITIZENS OF LONDONDERRY DESERVE A BREAK BEFORE OUTSIDERS COME IN AND RAPE THE TOWN. LIVE FREE OR DIE.

[seamusnh]

Originally Posted by GregW

Another possibility is to have employers pay wages high enough for their workers, besides white collar and executive, to live near the job. This would also apply to town governments. Either way the workers get more and the owners get less. That is my definition of fair

Other than the government, employers have competitors. Those competitors could be in another town, another state, or another country, depending on the nature of the product/service. Dictating that employers pay more than the market rate for labor will make those employers less competitive and hurt their business to the point where they will close the business or move it elsewhere. It is nice to say that the govt should have employer pay higher wages and it would have a short term positive effect, but in the long term it eventually kills the job.

[Clark Bush]

place like Insight Tech, they want to pay cheap. Sandwich shops, want cheap help. Workforce housing provides dirt dogs to fill low wage jobs. A cop or a fireman wouldn't live in one of those places. All it will do is bring in more people to compete for the few jobs left in the area. That is , the ones who won't be on some hand out . If the state wants to tell us what to do, they ought to pay our property taxes or else butt out and go back to the seacoast liberal rock they crawled out from. There are no jobs and they want to locate thousands of more people here to lower the wages. I guess the ruling class makes money off the poor and screws the working class by having us pay for everything

[Clark Bush]

workforce housing . Reclocate low wage earners who depress the wages and take the few remaining jobs available . Raise the property taxes by flooding the schools with big single parent families. What percent of the projects will be set aside for welfare or other handouts. ?Maybe the state should come in and pay my property taxes and the feds should pay the teachers. NO SLUM HOUSING. NO HANDOUTS . WHEN AM I GE?TTING A BREAK.? tHERE ARE NO JOBS. I DON'T THINK THE CIIZENS OF LONDONDERRY SHOULD BE EXPECTED TO PROVIDE CHEAP LABOR TO SURROUNDING BUSINESSES WHO DONT WANT TO PAY A DECENT WAGE. NO SLAVE LABOR HUTS FOR LONDONDERRY.

[Clark Bush]

Just as employers ought not to be forced by government to pay higher wages, taxpayers ought not to be forcedd to approve low rent homes for able bodied people. If people want the market to determine wages, let the market determine what housing costs are. We are being dictated to by seacoast liberals. The law is an ass, especially when dictators write it. Live free or die.

[GregW]

I am amused by the way some manage to argue both sides of the issue in the same comment. Let the market work but don't let poor (actually lower paid but not poor) live in my perfect town.

I'll give you all a clue. Markets are distorted by the existence of government zoning at the behest of the existing residents. There is no open market in housing or nearly anything else so if we want to have our lower wage workers actually live in town we need to zone for lower cost housing. If we wish to continue to discriminate on income we keep the current practice. After all it is an earned privilege to live in Londonderry. BS