Affordable Housing

September 3, 2014

Real Estate Wire: The Helmsley Building Could Hit the Market for $1.5B; Carnegie Park Going Co-Op

The Commercial Observer interviews Gary Barnett of Extell. The developer discusses everything from his aggressive development stance to the “poor door” controversy that’s gotten everyone all riled up. [CO] An epic tale of murder at 31 Bond Street—the site of new condos coming to the NoHo market. [NYT] The “Gossip Girl Penthouse” at 1136 Fifth Avenue sold […]

August 6, 2014

14 New Designs Proposed for Brooklyn Bridge Park Project – BIG, Asymptote and FXFOWLE on the Roster

The city has just received 14 new design proposals for the two remaining housing developments on the southern edge of Brooklyn Bridge Park, a site that has been the focus of a contentious affordable housing debate; namely whether such units should be added to the coveted waterfront site. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Brooklyn Bridge Park Corp., which runs the park, will discuss the new proposals in a meeting today.
See all 14 proposals here
August 5, 2014

CB4 Housing Plan Calls for 11,000 Units of Affordable Housing

Mayor de Blasio called for all 59 New York City community boards to propose ways to increase the number of affordable housing units within their district, and CB4, which covers Chelsea, Clinton, and Hell's Kitchen, is the first to respond. The Manhattan District Board 4 Affordable Housing Plan was voted on internally by the board on July 23, but is expected to be officially presented to the city on August 8th. The 81-page plan, which could influence affordable housing policy throughout the city, focuses on six major themes that will outline how the west side neighborhoods tackle the addition of 11,000 units of affordable housing.
We break down the themes
August 4, 2014

Mythbusters: Shedding Light on 80/20 Affordable Housing and ‘Poor Doors’

There’s been lots of chatter on the street and in the media on the subject of “poor doors” in new developments for those who have qualified for affordable housing. And though this subject has created quite a bit of controversy, it's actually not quite what it seems. Rather than being outraged that our city allows real estate developers to “discriminate” against those who could never consider paying for the privilege of residing in their latest and greatest luxury building, naysayers should think about reading up on exactly what affordable housing is and isn’t—“rich” home seekers having an edge over the so-called “poor.”
We look at 80/20 and the 'poor door' controversy here