Bloomberg Asks Spitzer to Veto Botched 421-a Bill
The combination of some poor political calculation on the part of the Bloomberg administration and the back-room dealings of a state assemblyman may spell doom for a housing bill that was supposed to create more affordable housing in the city while stemming the flow of handouts to luxury developers, according to some post-game analysis in…
The combination of some poor political calculation on the part of the Bloomberg administration and the back-room dealings of a state assemblyman may spell doom for a housing bill that was supposed to create more affordable housing in the city while stemming the flow of handouts to luxury developers, according to some post-game analysis in The New York Times this morning. The most embarrassing piece of the eleventh-hour alterations to the bill by Assemblyman Vito Lopez of Brooklyn (who, notes the Atlantic Yards Report, has received campaign contributions from Bruce Ratner’s brother and sister-in-law) in heavy consultation with REBNY’s Steven Spinola, is the additional $300 million it gives to Ratner’s Atlantic Yards project in return for no additional affordable housing concessions. In addition, Bloomberg et al are pissed that the Lopez version of the bill, which expands the exclusion zones in the outer boroughs beyond what the city had originally defined, removes the city’s ability to give tax benefits for some 10,000 middle-income apartments currently in the works and also blocks the city from funding 2,000 apartments in poor areas. So here’s a question: Is the Bushwick-based Lopez as big a dirt-bag as this whole ordeal makes him out to be (he is, after all, a close pal of the poster boy for corruption Clarence Norman) or was he just following his heart in fighting to tilt the bill more in favor of low-income residents than middle-income even if it meant further enriching some wealthy developers in the process? Or does the truth lie somewhere in the middle?
City’s Plans for Housing Flop in Albany [NY Times]
City says “Atlantic Yards carve-out” worth $300 million [AY Report]
History will hail Vito Lopez a hero. A brave and thoughtful act!
RE: Brower Park 11:25
I agree. There should have been some real debate in Albany about this bill. Instead we got a bill hijacked in the dead of night and force-fed to legislators.
the poor aren’t in the most danger of being priced out of the city? are there stats that show that there is more housing affordable to the poor in NYC than there is for the middle class?
On the face of it, I have to agree with both 9:39 and 10:00. With nothing but the information reported in the Times, et al, I’d have to say Mr. Lopez made a poor deal with the devil in order to help a large portion of his constituents that no one else is thinking about. If passed, it will backfire, and that is a shame.
There is a reason why many people who truly want to help their fellow man don’t go into politics – you can’t get anything done unless you compromise and convolute to the point of making bad deals like this in order to squeeze out some kind of perceived good. The whole thing needs to be vetoed, then unwound, laid out straight, and voted on in a clear, clean cut way without the attached riders, exceptions, etc. But that probably won’t happen.
It’s a real shame that the legislation that V. Lopez forced through will hurt the very neighborhoods he wants to protect. Forget the AY give-away, there are more substantial problems with this bill.
Middle-Income New Yorks are in the most danger of being priced out of the city. This bill will only speed their exodus creating a larger income gap in NYC; hurting our economic and social fabric.
Construction costs are rising so fast that it’s almost impossible to build affordable housing without extra government subsidies much less the decrease in allowable rents for the 20% affordable. If he wanted this legislation to actually work – he should have fought for increasing NYS tax-exempt volume cap allowing developers to opt into affordable housing programs.
Now middle-income developments targeting working families will only be built on the fringes of the city while the poor and extremely rich occupy the center…. I thought that was what everyone is trying to avoid – geographic segregation.
“Ohhhhhh….stop your non-stop bellyaching already…jeesh…. you people are some of the biggest whiners imaginable!”
Irony, anyone?
good point there Mr. Jeesh. wait, what was your point?
Ohhhhhh….stop your non-stop bellyaching already…jeesh…. you people are some of the biggest whiners imaginable!
It’s time now for Spitzer to step up to plate and veto this ridiculous piece of legislation…the give-away to Ratner/Atlantic Yards is just so appalling.