Think harder about the future of Media

To the Times:

Media is a wonderful place to live, but I fear that if Terry Rumsey and Robin Lasersohn’s proposal is adopted (Feb. 23, Delcotimes. com) it will no longer remain so.

What they consider a worthy social goa l— regeneration not gentrification! — has consequences they have not considered, for example, what if a socalled “low/medium income” resident receives one of those below cost loans and fixes up the house with it and sells it for a nice profit before moving out of the area? Or will this type of loan require a resident to stay in the property for years in some kind of indentured servitude?

But if people use the loans to fix up their houses, won’t it have the effect of increasing property values in the area, making housing less affordable? Who finances the proposed loans, anyway?

How will the county offer them below cost? Are they some sort of entitlement or subsidy in the service of the noble ideal of affordable housing? How many others must leave because their taxes are raised to pay for someone else’s housing?

To return to the real world, this year there was an enormous real estate tax hike in many Delaware County communities; the authors ought to ask many “low/medium income” residents will be forced to leave Media Borough because they cannot afford to pay the increased taxes? I used to live in Ardmore where a resident advocated that the township provide affordable housing. I questioned her about properties she said she was fixing up to rent.

“When you’re done fixing them up,” I asked, “why don’t you keep the rent very low and offer affordable housing to a local resident?” She looked at me as if I had six heads. “I can’t afford to do that, but rich people can.” “Maybe,” I replied, “but in the meantime why don’t you lead by example?” A lightbulb went off in her head. “You right! I do need to lead by example.” Lesson learned.