> Why do many commenters on this sub advocate for gentrification?

Nobody is. It's a biproduct of other things that happen - such as investments in infrastructure, increased demand for skilled labor, improved education, etc.

We cannot stop gentrification. We can only prepare for it, smartly. Of course, almost no community ever does because of NIMBY assclowns.

> luxury housing

Frankly, we do not have the luxury to pick & chose what kind of housing we need.

Building specifically middle-class and lower-income housing is not a very profitable venture for housing developers. If we say "no" to a luxury building, then we risk nothing being built. The BPDA certainly doesn't make it attractive for developers to want to build here anyways.

High skilled workers are moving to Boston faster than we can house them. If there is no luxury building for them to move to, they will move into a 100-year old triple-decker typically occupied by working class families and deepen our already extraordinary housing crisis.

> Why are many of you against rent control?

Rent control doesn't work.

> Are you aware that building luxury housing... is gentrification?

That's not how it works.
Again, new workers will either move to luxury housing - or move to the housing typically occupied by working-class populations. Landlords will raise rent with demand, and long-term renters will be priced out and forced to move. And the condos will still come later, when there are fewer community hurdles.

You either build condos now and buy working class people some extra time. Or you kick them out now. What would you rather have?

For clarity, building new housing in those Chelsea, Revere, Malden is only possible because there are fewer NIMBY roadblocks. I'd love for more luxury housing in already wealthy parts of town.

> Would you be open to luxury housing that is initially rent-controlled for some years before it can become market-rate? This would be similar to 421-A in NYC.

If it's a nice place to live, sure.

> Would you be open to luxury housing that is initially rent-controlled that can be sold to the renters there for a below-market-rate price?

Already happening, sort of. Most luxury buildings are required have a certain number of affordable housing units (obtainable by lottery). These are bought and sold at reduced rates. There isn't enough of them, IMO.

> Do you have another idea

Build as much and as fast as possible. That's all there is to it. MBTA investments would be nice, but the Commuter Rail is not a solution when people moving here want an urban life and grab a train that comes every 10 minutes, rather than every hour.

The Suffolk Downs project is something I'm looking forward to, but even that's somehow getting fucked up by parking requirements and stupid fucking bullshit. Still gonna be worthwhile, but the red tape is ridiculous.

If the we expanded Blue Line to Lynn, it would help a lot since downtown Lynn has a lot of unoccupied apartments and weak access to the city.