Sunday, August 9, 2009

$700,000 Bronx crap considered "affordable"

From NY1:

Despite an economic slowdown nationally, developers are continuing to build in the Baychester section of the Bronx, often with the help of the Community Preservation Corporation -- a private not-for-profit that gives loans to small developers to help build affordable neighborhoods.

"We are quite confident that when the economy starts to improve that is a neighborhood that is going to do quite well," said Community Preservation Corporation Manhattan Director Bruce Dale. "Because what it is offering to a potential buyer is a community, a safe place to raise your children. A community that is affordable at their economic level."

A level that still could be a bit pricey for these sort of multifamily homes. For instance, on Ely Avenue, Shelter Rock builders is putting up 22 three-family homes. The asking price could be around $700,000, which might accommodate extended families or give a buyer the option to rent out apartments. Also on Ely Avenue, another developer has eight two-family houses waiting to be sold for around $500,000. A block over on Grace Avenue, 10 more new two-families are almost completed.


How is this "affordable housing"?
What ever happened to the yards text amendment that was supposed to stop exterior stairs from being built above the first floor?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's still a marginal neighborhood, with crack on Eastchester, Scammers, Welfare Scum and ...just today watched a woman knowing it was wrong, throw garbage on yhe street. A shining exmple of the same ols shite. Change your life and change the world.

Taxpayer said...

"How is this 'affordable housing'?
What ever happened to the yards text amendment that was supposed to stop exterior stairs from being built above the first floor?"

- - -

Oh c'mon. Just laugh when we're lied to.

Whatever is offered is "affordable" to someone. Just not middle class people.

As for the Yards text amendment? Just a regulation. The only response to any regulation is to say: "Who cares? Who needs to be paid to ignore this? Does the Commissar have his hands out like a common street beggar? Can he, will he make this problem go away? He wants a third, fourth and fifth term, doesn't he? Well, we make that happen if he makes this happen."

It's all just for laughs.

Screwing taxpaying citizens is a real sidesplitting comedy!

Damned Architect said...

Oh Crappy, you have much to learn about how architects and developers play their tricks! A true three-family home would be classified as a multiple dwelling, and would be subject to far more rigorous codes, (especially the ADA requirement) that not only bans exterior stairs but mandates elevators for new multiple family dwellings.

So how is this accomplished?

Well, each lot in the picture doesn't have a 3-family house, each lot has a 1 family residence at grade with a 2 family residence BUILT DIRECTLY OVER IT! See, 1 and 2 houses are not considered multiple dwellings and are therefore exempt from the multiple-dwelling (and ADA) laws! As long as the 2 different "houses" are totally separated from each other with a 3-hour fire rated partition (or floor slab in this instance), then all this is perfectly legal. In fact, I rarely seen the 1 + 2 family combo illustrated here; the 4 story 2 + 2 combo is much more common.