Friday Links

oh bx girl I didn’t answer — the condos should just be left alone. I haven’t put much thought into new affordable housing. but one thing alwasy bugged me: If I make 100K I am priced out of manhattan. But if I make 40K I can live there… I’m out of my comfort zone here, but isn’t there some urban planning philosophy that you’re supposed to mix up income classes to avoid creating ghettos? is that what’s behind the huge focus on affordable housing?
Housing in Queens is affordable. what’s wrong with living in Queens? That’s not a ghetto. maybe someone can explain it to me.

When I go over the bridge every morning (manhattan side) I look out at the affordable housing on my right and the condos on my left, and know that I’ll never make it into either one. not that it bothers me, it just seems like a strange, unnatural thing for the city to enforce.

hey bx — I wasn’t clear enough — by “other tax dollars” I was referring to the federal plan to help reduce mortgages costs around the US, and criticising all of the home owners who were not actually victims, the ones who were willfully blind to their own risks and the knock-on effects of their behavior, and now will benefit at my (tax) expense.

I’m a “free-market liberal”. I’m all about affordable housing for those who truly need it. for my own sitch, I won’t qualify for any of the tax breaks or affordable units, but I don’t expect to.

I just want people who enjoyed free-market up-side to feel the pain on the way down. investors are supposedly compensated for taking risk. without down-side we’ll have huge moral hazard problem for the next boom…

and (full disclosure) I’m a renter, I’ve waited years for an opportunity to buy, I called the market correctly, and now christine quinn is going to take my bargains away!!! I’m bummed!

These developers are rich and they’re funding political campaigns. This is not about affordable housing at all, it’s a smoke-screen. anyone disagree?

ou812

It’s a clubhouse. Seriously. It was featured in the NYT a few years ago (in either Home, RE or Escapes) along with some fancy grown-up treehouses guys built for themselves in their backyards (yes, only guys in the article). Some guy owns it and he hangs out there with his pals. I don’t think he lives there. Anyone know more?

joe- if that money goes to Ratner it will be a travesty. Kinda makes you wonder- if we have all those empty apartments, why would we give Ratner money to build more?

But your second point- about making affordable middle class apartments is a little off the mark. What makes you think this housing is going to “home buyers who borrowed irresponsibly for their perfect marble back-splash and sub-zero appliances.?” Why shouldn’t you be able to get one of them? They aren’t talking housing for welfare families.

But beyond that- it seems to me a pragmaic idea- I think developers went overboard on building nothing but luxury apartments- sometimes in areas that couldn’t sustain the prices they they charged. What else do you think could or should be done instead?

oh yeah, and our stimulus bucks are going to go to ratner.