Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Lower Manhattan has hardly any middle class housing left

From Downtown Express:

A group of Lower Manhattan residents recently set out to determine how much affordable housing their neighborhood has.

The answer? Not much.

Rent-regulated does not necessarily mean affordable. The community board’s list includes many units that are considered regulated because the yearly rent increases are capped, but the units start out at market rate.

“It was not as many buildings or units as I had hoped,” said Michael Levine, director of land use and planning for C.B. 1. “We’ve lost a lot.”

The big picture...is not bright. The neighborhood is losing affordable units faster than they could ever be built, and despite the current softening of the market, many housing advocates say that prices Downtown are still much higher than the middle class can afford.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

"The community board’s list includes many units that are considered regulated because the yearly rent increases are capped, but the units start out at market rate."

What a load of double-talk. If a rate is capped, it's not market rate. The only way to ensure market rate rent, and therefore "affordable" housing, is to have a free market. end control and stabilization upon vacancy - period.

Anonymous said...

"end control and stabilization upon vacancy - period."

Yes, that will do the trick. Removing all restrictions on landlord greed will "ensure" "affordable" housing by allowing apartment owners to pack in as many tenants as it takes to pay the new, higher rents. If you think the city is crowded now, just wait!

Anonymous said...

Ending stabilization will not lead to more affordable housing because the cost of acquiring the land and paying for the labor to build will not allow for it.

If ending rent control and stabilization were the key to obtaining affordable housing, New York never would have had notorious slums like 5 points.

Prior to the imposition of control and stabilization New York had massive shortages of affordable units, that's why the laws were passed in the first place so that returning veterans who fought for their nation would not be homeless.

Anonymous said...

bloomazz would love to overturn rent control. why not let these buildings go section 8, oh not in our backyard! bloomturd is only out for the rich and kills the rest of the tri-state.

vote his ass out come november

Anonymous said...

Prior to the imposition of control and stabilization New York had massive shortages of affordable units, that's why the laws were passed in the first place so that returning veterans who fought for their nation would not be homeless.

Exactly, it was only a temporary measure. Now that there are hundereds of vacant apartments being warehoused, it's time to tend the temporary regulations and go free market. Give tenants a choice of where to live and the landlords will make the places liveable.

Anonymous said...

I was forced to live through a life-threatening renovation of my building because I could not afford to go anywhere on 30,000 a year.

My attempts to find safe, affordable housing included putting my name on every HPD apartment list I could find--2 year waits, visiting real-estate brokers--$1,300/month for a 1 bedroom in Astoria, contacting Hanac, Acorn, every other affordable housing group, bidding on a foreclosure on the steps of the Bronx Courthouse--a dirty title and $3,000 dollars down the drain.

Don't spout nonsense, some of us know better. Too bad if you can't throw the working class into the gutter.

Anonymous said...

I was forced to live through a life-threatening renovation of my building because I could not afford to go anywhere on 30,000 a year.

My attempts to find safe, affordable housing included putting my name on every HPD apartment list I could find--2 year waits, visiting real-estate brokers--$1,300/month for a 1 bedroom in Astoria, contacting Hanac, Acorn, every other affordable housing group, bidding on a foreclosure on the steps of the Bronx Courthouse--a dirty title and $3,000 dollars down the drain.

Don't spout nonsense, some of us know better. Too bad if you can't throw the working class into the gutter.



WTF are you babbling about? Free markey means you're not stuck with what you can't afford! There would be a neighborhood out there for you if there were no regulations on something as simple as rent!

Maybe if that;s what you make you need to think about living and working in one of the most expensive cities in the world! There's no "right to live in Manhattan!"!

Anonymous said...

I never lived in Manhattan, but in Astoria, formerly a working class neighborhood. The neighborhoods I investigated were all outer borough neighborhoods and the one were I lost 3,000 dollars was in the Bronx.

If you think that my referral to $1,300/month for a one bedroom would encompass anything in Manhattan, then you must be a geezer. This price was surpassed in most Manhattan neighborhoods when I was 18.

Anonymous said...

"It was only a temporary measure... Give tenants a choice of where to live and the landlords will make the places liveable."

And you, ma'am, are laughably naive.

Anonymous said...

Keep working ,great job!