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bravestatevt OP t1_j5luxya wrote

Reply to comment by Cease_Cows_ in Brave Little State: Films based in VT, dog adoption or Airbnbs? by bravestatevt

We did a housing ep last year that mentioned Airbnb: https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/brave-little-state/2022-02-03/how-can-vermont-solve-its-housing-crisis

But this would be more of a deep dive

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WinstonAtlas t1_j5nqmnp wrote

Would be cool to have some history about when hotels were banned from residential neighborhoods in VT. In the 1950-1960s you could build up to 75 feet anywhere in Burlington and use buildings as hotels, boarding houses, .

What happened that we needed to restrict hotels so much that a parallel industry of short-term rentals has sprung up.

Mobile homes, on the other hand, were banned in Burlington as part of the first 1947 zoning code.

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you_give_me_coupon t1_j5n6m63 wrote

I can't wait for you to provide some "nuance" or "complexity" and explain to regular Vermonters getting priced out of their home state that parasitic rent-seekers have nothing to do with it. Or maybe, "it's not happening, but if it is, it's a good thing!"

I know a few working-class families living in cold houses right now because that's all they can afford. One family lives in an apartment with only one heat pump for heat that shuts off when it's 40F outside. Another recently had to move after getting carbon monoxide poisoning from an unvented furnace in the cellar that the landlord knew about and refused to fix. That's illegal! You might say. Maybe it is, but that doesn't matter if you don't have money enough for a lawyer, or if people who might be able to help (a tenant's union in this case!) don't care because you look poor.

I don't expect you to cover any issues like that. After all, the class of people listening to and funding VPR are (by and large) either rent-seekers themselves, or not harmed too much by the current housing crisis.

PS: Before anyone asks, no, just building more houses won't fix it. If we did, who would buy them? Certainly not the people who can't even afford a place with working heat. It would just be more of the same: wealthy third-home-owners, speculators, and private equity ghouls.

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bravestatevt OP t1_j5on1tq wrote

FWIW, I genuinely appreciate your comment, snark aside. The Airbnb question ended up winning and I do want our reporting to reflect the reality of what is actually happening in VT.

Our episode on the housing crisis last year talked a lot about building more housing and (depending on the person speaking) how (in)effective that is if it's the only approach to "solving" the problem. And how some people want more regulation of short-term rentals.

Curious for your thoughts: Do you see more regulation of short-term as part of a solution? What other stories/reporting do you want represented in this episode?

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_j5qpkjz wrote

> I do want our reporting to reflect the reality of what is actually happening in VT.

Then why do you do so many fluff pieces? Sometimes you have great stories, but a lot of time there is stuff like the other two options to vote on. The Netflix show Wednesday and out of state shelter? How is that what is happening in VT. I understand you can’t attract listeners with doom and gloom all the time but every once in a while the public desire to be placated with stories about bullshit should just be ignored and you should cover a real topic that impacts real people.

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bravestatevt OP t1_j5toww5 wrote

Thanks for the feedback. Not every episode is for everyone, though in this case, the Airbnb question won and I'm glad it's a topic you're interested in. Open to reporting suggestions if you have them

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thisoneisnotasbad t1_j5vjra8 wrote

I suggest you report on great social issue questions you ask then get outvoted. People have proposed some great topics but dumbassery outvoted it. How about the one on how the state is failing incarcerated individuals by having shit services for reintegration. But this time, don’t offer some stupid alternative for people to vote for like legends of bootlegging or whatever that one was.

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you_give_me_coupon t1_j5qr2r9 wrote

> Do you see more regulation of short-term as part of a solution?

Sure, but that's the most piddly compromise anyone should even think about accepting. That you're asking about "regulation" shows how near your horizon is; I suspect a small-L-liberal world is all you can conceive of. I want a country organized around ensuring regular people's needs first and foremost, instead of now, where the priority is maximum profits for a tiny group of oligarchs. I want vacation homes past the first, and non-owner-occupied AirBnbs expropriated by force - really make an example of people, put some fear into them. The recent bill to ban AirBnbs that weren't owner-occupied for 60-70% of the year was a tiny, hesitant step in the right direction, but even that got killed instantly. (Assuming there was ever any serious intent behind it; knowing the sponsor, Rep Kornheiser, I'm not so sure.)

> What other stories/reporting do you want represented in this episode?

Why are you asking me instead of whatever billionaire's "foundation" is funding public radio this week?

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