You could live here! You could win the lottery too! You can own this bridge as well!
New York City has a shortage of affordable housing. It does not have a shortage of ostentatious housing,
that's for sure. There are laws that force luxury developers to offer at least some affordable housing in their edifices. One such new development,
40 Riverside, has been sparking controversy:
The prospect of a separate entrance for lower-income residents has been circulating for some time, but as the New York Post reported today, plans by company Extell Development to put a separate entrance for affordable housing tenants, who make 60 percent or less of median income, in the 33-story condo have been given the green light. The property will have 219 units, including 55 affordable units overlooking the street. Those renting and buying the apartments at the market-rate will have waterfront views.
The entrance is part of the Inclusionary Housing Program application, under which developers can build larger projects if they also provide low-income housing, either on- or off-site.
It's sort of like a "servants" entrance. Makes sense. Poor people are dirty and uncouth. Well, surprise surprise, people looking for affordable housing in New York City will take what they can get—even if their chances of
getting it are next to nothing.
As of Monday, the deadline for applying, more than 88,000 people had put their name in for the 55 low-priced units, the developer said.
“I guess people like it,” said Gary Barnett, founder and president of Extell Development Company, the tower’s developer. “It shows that there’s a tremendous demand for high-quality affordable housing in beautiful neighborhoods.”
[bold my emphasis]
Gary Barnett is not only the developer of the desirable property, he's also a super hero called Captain Obvious. What Barnett is trying to say is that it's okay to separate the wheat from the chaff, because the chaff isn't gonna buy him a new boat.
The units at Extell’s building are eligible to households with incomes of $30,240 to $50,340, with rents listed at $1,082 for a two-bedroom, $895 for a one-bedroom and $833 for a studio in a prime location by the Hudson River. Mr. Barnett argued that the response showed that the poor door issue was a “made-up controversy.”
“The most important thing is to provide affordable housing,” he said. “It’s what people really want.”
He's half right. People do want affordable housing since even rich people couldn't afford
unaffordable housing. It's a dumb thing to say and a cynical person to be. Mayor Bill de Blasio's office has vowed to change the rules that allow for separate but equal entrances based on income.
Until then people will enter lotteries and cross their fingers.