Lottery Housings Only In Certain Neighbohoods (York, Yorkville: middle-class, real estate, apartments)
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Can someone explain why the lottery housings being built in the city are only available in certain areas?
It seems they are only targeting the gentrified or gentrifying areas and Latino/Black populated areas.
However, southern Brooklyn areas and many parts of Queens are being completely neglected in creating the lottery affordable housing units. These areas also have a lot of working class people and many are in not so great housing conditions. It seems the government is not realizing these areas are no longer primarily home owner residents. Many of the houses in these areas have been converted into apartments, and often in overcrowding conditions. There are many in these areas that really need it and would like to stay in the area.
Here is the problem with the preferences of the lottery housing. The reserve 50% for the residents in the area. Which means people who are living in the southern Brooklyn areas and in many sections of Queens who are applying are more likely to not have a lot of chances of getting in because they are not within that area of the lottery housing units in addition to too many people applying.
In the southern Brooklyn areas, there are plenty of spaces that affordable lottery housings can be built, which could relieve a lot of people living in bad conditions in those areas. But none is being done. It does not seem right. There are so many co-ops in the southern Brooklyn areas and in many parts of Queens that can be used as affordable housing.
If the government can at least mandate that all NYC Co-op buildings or luxury style buildings to at least have 5 apartments available that is for affordable housing, it can still relieve a lot of people who are living in bad housing conditions not only in Southern Brooklyn, but throughout all of NYC. But the landlords can still have a much easier time monitoring the affordable housing units if they choose only to allow a few units.
I understand a lot of real estate companies are worried about if they allow affordable housing units that there could be many bad tenants coming in, such as not being responsible for the rent, or being disruptive, or doing something extremely bad and it would be too much to handle especially often many of the real estate companies that do have affordable housing units, they often will have an influx of more than 10 affordable housing units, which is a lot to handle.
However, if they are given the choice to limit it to only 5 units, it will be much easier to monitor, but still relieving people who are living in bad conditions. So if in an event, there is a bad tenant(s) that is in the affordable housing unit, it would only be just that one unit or two units and can easily monitor them and if necessary, can kick them out and just allow the next applicant on the waiting list.
In order for these projects to be profitable for the developers building them , they can't really be built in any location ... At the end of the day these developers need enough market rate tenants to make the development viable , so they can't really build in any location ..
There is little new construction of rentals on the UES, thus you aren't going to find 80/20 or whatever lottery apartments, yet. There are however a few buildings in Yorkville that have "affordable" components.
It all comes down to what a LL thinks will move in a particular area and or how fast they want to make their money.
For the past decade or so the focus from many developers for new construction has been condos over rentals. They want to put up a building, sell off units, get their money and that is that. This as opposed to being bothered with long term rentals.
Much also boils down to financing available, land acquisition costs (property is cheaper in hoods), demographics, etc...
Reason why you are seeing so much development in hoods or whatever is the city rezoned many areas to permit development of either formerly industrial/commercial space, and or allowing increased density in exchange for "affordable" housing. Some developers *need* that increase in order to make their projects work. Others do not.
In order for these projects to be profitable for the developers building them , they can't really be built in any location ... At the end of the day these developers need enough market rate tenants to make the development viable , so they can't really build in any location ..
If they can or think they will get enough market rate *and* can build as of right, then developers often can and do not need 80/20.
You don't see any "affordable" apartments along "Billionaires Row" in Mid-Town Manhattan because the zoning allowed those tall buildings as of right. OTOH because of the deals struck to keep the High Line ROW from being torn down many new buildings including luxury down there are 80/20. That is because developers need rezoning and or variances to build, so they have no choice but to get in bed with the city.
The latter increased under mayor de Boob who began forcing developers to include the affordable portion onsite of luxury. Previously developers could build the luxury units in one area and the low/moderate income some place else (usually in one of the other four boroughs and or a "hood").
YES! And the income requirements are ABSURD! They are SO low with hundreds of thousands of apartments geared toward VERY low income people in manhattan and gentrified brooklyn, and on the other extreme we have these lotteries in the Rockaways and the Bronx where the rents for these affordable units are VERY high. It seems like part of the program really is to integrate people of various income levels, but I am not accepting a lottery apartment for a 1 bedroom in the bronx for nearly 1400 dollars for a studio. absurd. Granted it's rent-stabalized, but still. !?
great article, thanks for posting that. I haven't full read through it yet though, so if it has some sorta nasty tinge to in the end, sorry hahaha. Our housing "problem" is VERY complex and most local politicians in NYC (well most places really) have an average IQ of about 95.. so we are always running into brick walls whenever a solution is found, and they are never found.
Southern Brooklyn yes does have a lot of immigrants. And yes, many can be eligible for the lottery housings.
However, they need to increase a modest number of NYCHA buildings. I do not mean like large developments with 10 buildings all together in one spot.
I mean like maybe sprinkle a one or two buildings that are around 10-13 floors in scattering all over different sections of Southern Brooklyn instead of clumping them all together to avoid a lot of congestion and social problems. One of the reasons why social problems happen in NYCHA buildings is because a lot of the NYCHA buildings often are built all together and concentrated in one section.
There are so many residents in the Southern Brooklyn areas that are applying for the Projects as well. They really should do modest expansion in those areas, but they need to give the priority to residents in those areas and that are working or at least making working class income.
If they modestly expand NYCHA developments in Southern Brooklyn areas and spread out the buildings like one or two in different sections instead, give priority to those in those areas and to working/middle class income persons, not only will it relieve a lot of the applicants in those areas, but there will be less chances of social problems arising because the buildings would be all spread out instead clumping so many all together, that it will decrease the chances of a lot social problems happening.
Also, if the majority of NYCHA residents are employed working class people/families or making working class income levels or if there can be good programs to increase more of the current NYCHA residents to become employed in a job, it can also help with somewhat lessening crime/social issues in the developments.
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