Workforce Housing law (Bedford, Milford: condo, mortgage, get credit)

[lisa g]

Originally Posted by WannaComeHome

I'm still bothered by the part about the state trying to erode the towns' authority and no one caring; regardless of the issue, it's still a really BAD thing!

Wanna, I care very much about that part. And I do not feel that same = fair or earned privilege = right. This is not an easy thing for me to wait out at all.

[GregW]

I figure this will become moot as the inflated prices of the existing housing stock falls to about 2.5 times the median income. That is something line $150K or so. Then noibody will be worried about affordable housing.

[GraniteStater]

Housing prices are continuing to decline, except slower declines in the 2nd home lakes market arena.

[CometVoyager]

Originally Posted by lisa g

sb 0342

I was going to post this in the resurrected "Keep New Hampshire - New Hampshire" thread but figured this topic deserves its own thread.
Hoping we can discuss how NH towns are being affected by this.

Leave it to Politicians who most likely have never even met a payroll to dictate their socialist agendas!

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by CometVoyager

Leave it to Politicians who most likely have never even met a payroll to dictate their socialist agendas!

Well, we don't want NH to turn into another NY! I grew up in the middle of the country (KC metro), and it was literally SCARY how many people have relocated there from Upstate New York. In fact, a family from Clifton Park, NY (Suburb of Albany) bought my parents house in a Kansas City suburb.

[BF66389]

Better idea- a town offering "rebates" to home builders so that they can sell homes to locally employed police/fire/medical/education personnel at a reduced cost is a GREAT idea and is financially responsible for the town because locally employed individuals will most likely have a higher retention rate (and recruiting/training new folks is VERY expensive) as well as be more active/involved in the community.

I think they already have something similar at a federal level; called "hometown heroes"...where these types of employees can get lower interest/lower down-payment loans in exchange for living in the communities they serve. These are "traditional" fixed rate loans...nothing fancy- just makes it easier for these folks to buy homes in the more expensive places they live.

On the other hand...there is some theory that by spreading out (rather than concentrating) the low-income population...then the low-income population will decrease since they will be spread to areas with more opportunity (since mobility is a big challenge for low-income). This WOULD be geat...except the laws are seldom structured properly to actually make this happen.

[lisa g]

Breaking News The Cabinet Press, Inc.

and in this article: Breaking News The Cabinet Press, Inc.
workforce housing is offensively 'glamourized' by the consideration of Milford becoming "sexy", with more bars opening up to serve the single population, just as the workforce housing would serve the same age group. Who writes this clearly biased stuff?

This sort of sneaky marketing (connecting the topics of new bars and workforce housing is disgusting, and can only appeal to a highly ignorant population prioritizing social drinking over quality of life. Young people working hard to provide their families with the same quality of life they grew up with will find that it will no longer exists. Drink up and have all the fun you want right in Milford, but in 10 yrs when you decide you want to settle down, you won't consider the place for your own family!

Does this publication really think its readers, even young readers, are that ignorant? If I were still in the young single age group targeted by this article I would be offended by this and probably high-tail it OUT of Milford asap. What kind of people do they want to attract? Not planners or thinkers, that is for sure.

[GregW]

Suburban housing was started to separate people by economic and racial means. After WWII the predominately white workforce moved out of the northern cities to avoid living with the southern blacks that, along with other immigrants, were moving North to better paying jobs. As the whites moved out they took their taxes with them and inner cities became cash strapped dumps while industries found it cheaper to move the production facilities, that needed major upgrades to modern production lines anyway, because suburban town could offer lower land and property taxes. As part of this the homebuilding, real estate and auto related industries made a bundle. Eventually the result was a shift in the workforce housing to the inner suburbs.

In the 60's and 70's the tech booms and the development of ring roads around the big cities expanded suburbia to exurbia. Exurbia was filled with knowledge workers trying to escape the onus of living with blue-collar production workers regardless of their race. This was pure economic separation aided by the development of interstate class roads. Interestingly professional classes are gentrifying the inner cities as they realize the efficiency of living near work and being able to easily associate with their contemporaries without having to bother with the expense of owning automobiles. This has driven out the urban workforce to the deteriorating and affordable inner ring suburbs.

Somebody finally figured out that economic discrimination was just as wrong as racial discrimination and has taken steps to eliminate exclusionary zoning. About time this happened. I do like the idea of the municipality developing what amounts to “company housing” for their underpaid town workforce. I know that Londonderry does not pay anyone enough money to actually be able to afford to live in town on one income. Housing prices, even after the bust, are still too expensive.

[lisa g]

Greg, everyone, regardless of race or the 'class' they were born into has a chance to live wherever they choose, assuming they are able bodied and willing to work toward living in their place of choice(as opposed to being willing to work toward *everyone's* choices). I do not buy your 'economic discrimination' theory, and racial discrimination has thankfully not been in play for many years now. These arguments are completely ignorant. Don't be fooled about workforce housing serving local underpaid town workforces. A nice way to promote it in local publications, but far from reality.

[WannaComeHome]

I do like the idea of the municipality developing what amounts to “company housing” for their underpaid town workforce. I know that Londonderry does not pay anyone enough money to actually be able to afford to live in town on one income.

Sure, if the bill specified that this 'workforce housing' was specifically (and only) available FOR those underpaid town workers. But it doesn't. It just makes a blanket economic statement so that it is available for low-income families. And being in favor of this also implies that you feel it's ok for the state to over-ride a town's ability to govern itself (ie: setting zoning regs.. for now) - simply so that someone who can't afford to live in a higher priced town, can afford to. Hey, I want a nice house in Hollis, just because I like the town (even if I'm not on the workforce let alone working for the town): too bad I can't afford to buy there - so they should be forced to put in housing that I can afford? why????

It's a badly phrased bill, pushed through to benefit a whining developer. hey, I wouldn't mind belonging to Hampshire Hills Country Club (for the pool), but I can't afford to join. Think if I whined enough they could be forced into providing low-income memberships????