In the East New York section of Brooklyn sits a parking lot. It borders the Linden Houses on two sides. The Boulevard Houses on another and finally the stores. This NYCHA property was sold to developers in NYCHA’s effort to become solvent. Which just happens to work into Mayor Bill De Blasio’s housing plan.
This dense pack monstrosity caused me to look into and question the mayor’s housing plan. This led to a series of articles showing why the mayor’s housing plan will fail.
The Awakening
Writing this series of articles is enough to give anyone a massive headache. The more I read about the housing plans the less faith I have in it.
As a real estate broker and long time resident of New York, I have seen the housing situation undergo changes. Before becoming an agent then a broker I noticed but did not care about the changes. But as the saying goes I have seen the light. And it has revealed the pending overcrowding and destruction of the low and middle-income neighborhoods.
Some of what the articles address:
- If you have money there is no housing problem.
- If you are a developer there is no housing problem but a housing opportunity.
- This opportunity is called building “affordable housing”.
- Dense packing and warehousing tenants are part of the housing plan.
- Displacing the homeless in order to build upscale apartments is part of the plan.
- Owners and deep-pocketed tenants carry some of the blame.
- Hard lessons concerning housing are ignored. And much more
I have questions
Reading the articles left me with concerns that led to questions. For instance:
- Developments are required to build affordable apartments. What defines affordable?
- Developers get tax abatements for building affordable apartments. Who’s to say that after the tax abatements expire developers won’t raise rents?
- If you must build then why not build, affordable homes, schools and playgrounds first? Then we talk about low-rise buildings.
- Why not create community-based watchdog groups to make sure developers deliver what they promise?
- NYCHA is cash poor and selling off underutilized property. Did NYCHA determine why the property is underutilized and correct this?
- Does the city do impact studies on communities before building? And if so is it available to every resident online or in hard copy?
- Has anyone who applauded the mayor’s plan visited any of the sites during construction?
HPD and NYCHA: A Two-Prong Approach
The building plan uses both HPD and NYCHA to achieve its goals. I’m not comfortable with the plans from either entity.
The NYCHA approach is already present in East New York. This involved the selling of the parking lot. NYCHA deemed this to be underutilized. But not so fast.
It was NYCHA’s restriction of access to the parking lot that caused residents to stop using it. There was also the problem of lighting and safety. The lighting was adequate at best. As for safety, you take your chances.
Finally, there was no guard or police patrol for the lot. In past days the housing police had a satellite station at 300 Wortman Ave. That has no ago disappeared and never replaced.
Therefore, it was NYCHA’s actions that rendered this lot underutilized.
HPD in East New York
The HPD portion of the plan does not affect my area…yet. Nonetheless, the mayor has plans to rezone East New York. The rezoning will allow for building to be constructed that were restricted or banned. This means that tall multi-family buildings can be built next to private homes.
The city’s case
I included links to online articles that lay out the city’s plan. In my opinion, it is the usual pie in the sky presentation. As usual, the plans show no flaws, that is up to you and me to uncover.
The articles span two years. The articles cover both HPD and NYCHA. You can locate additional articles by searching for NYC Housing Problems online.
The Articles
HPD’S Plan
With Caution, a Poor Corner of Brooklyn Welcomes an Affordable Housing Plan
Written May 6, 2014
Written March 7, 2016
Written October 16, 2016
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/howard-husock-seeds-commerce-nycha-deserts-article-1.2831228
East New York Neighborhood Plan: HPD
Below is the zoning interactive map.
- Click on the image to see the map.
- Follow the instructions for details on the various highlighted areas.
NYCHA’s Plan
NYCHA Selling off property
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-nycha-selling-green-space-developers-article-1.2165863
In my opinion
It is not the people that matter. It’s not about preserving neighborhoods. It is the mayor’s ambition to be known as the “housing mayor” that drives these projects. Every mayor wants to be remembered as the (fill in the blank) mayor. Instead, I propose they do the job to the best of their ability and let history set their title?
You just read: Intro to Why the Mayors Housing Plan Will Fail
Next: Why The Mayor’s Housing Plan Will Fail
Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and nothing stated here is legal advice. This article applies to the five boroughs of New York. All information deemed accurate but not guaranteed. Always check the real estate laws in your part of the country.
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