Sunday, August 30, 2015

Affordable housing won't be affordable when it's done

From the Daily News:

When Mayor de Blasio held a press conference in May 2014 to debut his new affordable housing plan, his full-color presentation touted a project called Spring Creek in Brooklyn.

Spring Creek was flagged as a “case study” partnership between the city and developers to “create a strong, vibrant and self-sustaining neighborhood.”

But on Friday, the bulk of that project remained a big, ugly vacant field of weeds and abandoned roadway in East New York. More than 1,500 of 1,803 planned affordable units are now in a bureaucratic Twilight Zone — and may become less affordable as a result.

“There is no progress from the progressive mayor,” said the Rev. David Brawley, a leader of East Brooklyn Congregations, one of the groups sponsoring Spring Creek.

Brawley said the delays to Spring Creek caused by the de Blasio administration are particularly ironic given that the mayor cited the project in his promise to build or preserve 200,000 affordable units over 10 years.

The builders note the city knew all along the site was a former dump, and say the sewer changes were minor.

As a result, they now fear they’ll have to charge more for the houses and apartments they’re trying to build for low- and moderate-income families.

The income restrictions for a family of four, for instance, range from $25,900 to $112,190. The prices are lower due to taxpayer help. A single-family home that would go for $427,688 is reduced to $235,250, while a full price $616,000 two-family is cut to $415,000.

Because of delays, the builders say they’ll have to begin paying off the mortgage before selling a single unit. That will drive up the cost of the homes and apartments to homeowners.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're looking at the year 2025 before any if these "affordable housing " units are completed. By then the homeless population and welfare roles will have skyrocketed.

JQ said...

It's not all amazing that the city suddenly cares about soil contamination now when it comes to fulfilling a crucial and necessary to stem homelessness and class inequity now, especially in a area that would benefit the community and encourage other families to move in area that seems perfect for it (it's near a mall for chrissakes) when they have no qualms about rezoning areas for tower condos and hotels and giving stupid hipster entrepreneurs permits to open a bar in superfund sites and still contaminated areas.

The obvious reason for this delay is that certain greedy lowlifes that invested in Mayor Fucking Liar will not profit from it if those houses or apartments will be built.

I know that place and it has immensely improved, I use to ride on the bike path and that area used to stink to high hell. Surely the city wants luxury and bullshit 80/20 buildings there, since it has a improved bike path and it's a 20 minute drive to Fort Tilden (again more treats for the app generation)

Anonymous said...

No....by then the homeless would have gone to another city.
That's the real social engineering that's going on with these big promises.
Keep on yuppifying nabes to drive out the lower classes.
The Delt. Of City Planning knows this and is implementing it.

Anonymous said...

"due to taxpayer help" - in other words, they are forcing other people to pay for their houses

Camel bladder said...

Come on people open your eyes. How many more examples of government lies and fuck ups do you need to see to understand that government projects will never solve these so called housing shortages. I mean give me a break, 10 years to build or preserve 200000 shifty apts or dense packed shit hole attached homes. How do you hold any politician responsible for his or her promises when the promise is 10 years out. And besides how do we quantify build or " preserve" ? What the fuck does that mean? How many will old Wilhelm build and how many will his plan preserve? Please folks start taking responsibility for your own way in life.

Anonymous said...

Here we go again....lying like always...tossing the "affordable" housing bone to us dogs in order to lull us into accepting what will really be "luxury" development. Sorry but I've had that bone stuck up my ass too many times to believe that it is true.