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New Developments in the News

OCTOBER 3, 2011

Housing Authority considers homes fair game for ad space; A skyscraper district grows in Brooklyn

The New York City Housing Authority is thinking of selling space on its residential buildings to advertisers and is looking to hire a consultant to provide advice on how to go about it. Public outrage over this possibility is based on the concern that the 400,000-plus residents of the Authority’s housing projects throughout the city would be bombarded with ads for the “bad for you” products—tobacco and fast food, for example—that often pop up in low-income neighborhoods, partly because more upscale-targeted companies may not be interested in advertising there.

The blocks surrounding Brooklyn’s Borough Hall have recently been recognized as the Borough Hall Skyscraper Historic District by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The 21 buildings in the newly-created district include the 32-story neo-Gothic tower at 75 Livingston Street, 16 and 26 Court Street and converted residences at 185 Joralemon Street and 56 and 62 Court Street.