Community Board 1 passed a resolution last night that asks that "The City open up a true dialogue to discuss the root causes as to why so many New Yorkers can no longer afford to live in vast areas of our City."
Noting that many of the city's "rent regulations and rent subsidy programs are in jeopardy of becoming defunct (or void by the Courts) and seem to be in the process of being limited or phased out in the long run," the resolution requested that "local elected officials work together to create additional techniques to preserve and create affordable housing units, including but not limited, to tax based funding sources and tax incentive programs for landlords and shareholders, zoning initiatives and proper regulations to continue existing affordable housing projects within the current system."
The resolution also called on the City Planning Commission to review zoning regulations that mandate a minimum apartment size of 2,000 square feet in TriBeCa and ask the city to create a list of all buildings in its district with affordable units including information about their programs and dates of expiration.
It also is seeking disclosure of Battery Park City funds created to cross-subsidize middle income housing across the state and "asks why some of this fund cannot be utilized for Battery Park City residents."
"There is a vast difference between the affordability of rents from newer stabilized units based on receiving tax abatements set on recent market rents which are often over $3,000 per month as opposed to older rent stabilized units where rents were initially regulated before 1974," the resolution stated, adding that "The definition of 'affordable housing' rents are based on statistics that create units beyond the real affordability of most of the current residents."
The board also passed a resolution last night supporting the application by Battery Park green LLC for a special permit to increase from 50 to 100 the number of parking spaces at 70 Little West Street in Battery Park City.
Chris Albanese, the applicant, told the board that "here is a real shortage of parking in Battery Park City," noting that the City Planning Commission has found the increase would have "no environmental impact."
Several speakers at the meeting objected to the proposed special permit because of concerns about traffic congestion.
The vote was 22 to 19.
Noting that many of the city's "rent regulations and rent subsidy programs are in jeopardy of becoming defunct (or void by the Courts) and seem to be in the process of being limited or phased out in the long run," the resolution requested that "local elected officials work together to create additional techniques to preserve and create affordable housing units, including but not limited, to tax based funding sources and tax incentive programs for landlords and shareholders, zoning initiatives and proper regulations to continue existing affordable housing projects within the current system."
The resolution also called on the City Planning Commission to review zoning regulations that mandate a minimum apartment size of 2,000 square feet in TriBeCa and ask the city to create a list of all buildings in its district with affordable units including information about their programs and dates of expiration.
It also is seeking disclosure of Battery Park City funds created to cross-subsidize middle income housing across the state and "asks why some of this fund cannot be utilized for Battery Park City residents."
"There is a vast difference between the affordability of rents from newer stabilized units based on receiving tax abatements set on recent market rents which are often over $3,000 per month as opposed to older rent stabilized units where rents were initially regulated before 1974," the resolution stated, adding that "The definition of 'affordable housing' rents are based on statistics that create units beyond the real affordability of most of the current residents."
The board also passed a resolution last night supporting the application by Battery Park green LLC for a special permit to increase from 50 to 100 the number of parking spaces at 70 Little West Street in Battery Park City.
Chris Albanese, the applicant, told the board that "here is a real shortage of parking in Battery Park City," noting that the City Planning Commission has found the increase would have "no environmental impact."
Several speakers at the meeting objected to the proposed special permit because of concerns about traffic congestion.
The vote was 22 to 19.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
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