They benefit in the form of less congested streets and easy-to-find parking, light coming through their windows (rather than blocked by tall buildings across the street), low building heights giving their neighborhoods a familiar small-town feeling, etc.
To be clear, I think it's unconscionable that we prioritize these concerns when rents are so high, but average people absolutely do benefit from restrictions on housing supply as long as they are secure in long-ago mortgages and grandfathered rent control.
One of the NIMBY talking points is that upzoning creates a profit incentive to destroy rent-controlled buildings and replace them with higher-density market-rate buildings. Rent-controlled lease holders actually become more secure in their positions when the neighborhood downzones.
This is really about seniority/tenure in an area, and if there's any serious reform, it will likely be to further protect those with grandfather status from newcomers.
To be clear, I think it's unconscionable that we prioritize these concerns when rents are so high, but average people absolutely do benefit from restrictions on housing supply as long as they are secure in long-ago mortgages and grandfathered rent control.
One of the NIMBY talking points is that upzoning creates a profit incentive to destroy rent-controlled buildings and replace them with higher-density market-rate buildings. Rent-controlled lease holders actually become more secure in their positions when the neighborhood downzones.
This is really about seniority/tenure in an area, and if there's any serious reform, it will likely be to further protect those with grandfather status from newcomers.