Sunday, May 6, 2007

Affordable nabes in upzoning cross-hairs

So how was Queens spared from inclusion on this list?

City targeting nabes for new housing

The plan suggests rezoning "underused areas" and "decking" over old railways and highways to make room for "high-density" housing, which mean high-rises or voluminous, squat buildings, near transportation hubs.

Some quotes from the article:

"What we're doing is scouring the city for opportunities. We can't afford to let transit-accessible areas go undeveloped." - Deputy Mayor Daniel Doctoroff

"It will drive out the poor. It seems like they're trying to drive them out of New York City, period." - Benjamin Bullock, Broadway-Junction resident

"The illusion is that if you increase the supply and demand stays constant, prices should fall. The problem is that as we increase the density, we also increase the cost of providing services." - Elliott Sclar, a professor of Urban Planning and Public Affairs at Columbia University

I know there are those who don't like high-rises, but there's a desire to move to the borough." - Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz

Are there really people who are dying to move to these areas, or are the units being bought up by foreign investors taking advantage of the weak dollar and who are planning to cash in later on? Why are so many people being priced out of the city?

Anyone in the city administration want to answer these questions?

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We're building high rise units and putting them up for foreign investment just like new stock offerings!

These are NOT intended to be places for moderate income people to live in. They're up for grabs to the highest bidder!

It's time for our imperial mayor and the EDC to stop force feeding the public these thinly veiled lies!