Luxury New York Condo Will Have A 'Poor Door' For Lower-Income Residents

[hrmjustin]

Inae Oh

A controversial plan to have the lower-income residents of a New York City luxury condo go in and out through a separate entrance has officially been given the green light.

The proposal, from the New York-based developer Extell, was approved under a city program meant to incentivize affordable housing, the New York Post reported Sunday. New York's Department of Housing Preservation and Development was reportedly the city agency that gave the go-ahead.

The 33-story building, now under construction at 40 Riverside Boulevard on the Upper West Side, will contain 219 luxury units facing the Hudson River. There will also be a segment on floors two through six that will contain 55 street-facing units for the building's poorer residents. This segment will have its own entrance.

The more affordable units will be given to families of four whose annual income is $51,540 or less -- about 60 percent of the area's median income.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/21/extell-poor-door-_n_5606572.html

[PoliticAverse]

1. New version of the private elevator. n/t

[hrmjustin]

2. Yes.

[donco]

3. HHhmm...then can

segregated drinking fountains in the lobby be far behind?

[hrmjustin]

4. Yep! Just disgusting but I can't say I am surprised.

[SummerSnow]

5. So lower income people have to watch traffic

and higher income people watch the river. So much for equal housing laws.

[hrmjustin]

6. Disgusting! money talks.

[SummerSnow]

7. I'm surprised this happened here in NYC.

What's next segregated libraries, restaurants, taxis that only travel to certain areas, hey they may even have low income people go through the back door at Macy's.

[hrmjustin]

8. I'm not. The people who decide this probably live close by.

[SummerSnow]

10. Wonder what are the consequences of the lower income people who

might walk in through the higher income door? And I bet there aren't any consequences for the higher income people who might walk in through the lower income door.Just a thought.

[hrmjustin]

12. Good point.

[SummerSnow]

19. I read an article that said the lower income tenants

cannot use the gym and the swimming pool. Omg. But there is no mention of a gym and pool for lower income tenants. Oh I read it in the Huffington post link.

[hrmjustin]

20. I read that as well. my guess is that will change through pressure.

[SummerSnow]

21. It's like Birmingham, Alabama 1965 Jim Crow.

If I meet anyone that lives in that building I would say "Oh, you live in the Jim Crow apartments"

[hrmjustin]

22. I don't get how anyone can defemd this.

[SummerSnow]

23. Me either. There's no logic in defending this. Its so bias.

[hrmjustin]

25. Agreed!

[Hoppy]

9. Given the street, poor people will get to see a small amount of traffic

and the Riverside Park. Not that shabby. If I qualified, I would want to live there.

[hrmjustin]

13. I would not mind but I still think the situation is wrong.

[Warpy]

11. I'd be just as happy to avoid all the rich snots going through the glitzy front door

To tell the truth, many of them are not nice people and I'd love to avoid them.

Even if I could afford the rich man's apartment, I'd use the poor door. A better class of people would be using it.

How do I know? I was a country club kid. OPEC and Reagan made me poor and kept me that way.

[hrmjustin]

14. I bet they are boring people.

[hardcover]

15. Location and view are amenities that increase the price of housing.

What makes this any different?
Should I get to live next door to Al Gore in a similar mansion if I don't have the means like he does to pay for it?

[hrmjustin]

16. You don't see anything erong with separate entrances?

[hardcover]

17. No because a less busy enterance is part of what the wealthy are paying for.

I can't afford to pay for such amenities so I don't get to have them.

[hrmjustin]

18. I have to disagre. Why do they need this. It reeks of seperate but equal.

[SummerSnow]

24. here is a copy of the building proposal..

http://www.nyc.gov/html/mancb7/downloads/pdf/40_rsb_plan.pdf

On page 6, they say the dwelling will be of mixed use condominium. However if it was mixed use then the lower income tenants will be allowed to use all the building amenities. I wonder if the lower income tenants can use the parking garage there?

[hrmjustin]

27. Thanks for the link.

This whole thing is a bad precedent.

[SummerSnow]

28. Oh and the low income tenants facing the street,the street name is Freedom Place. How weirdly ironic

[hrmjustin]

29. Ironic and insulting.

[hrmjustin]

26. kicking.