135 Fewer Units at Ingersoll and Whitman
The Local reports that NYCHA’s long-running renovation of the Ingersoll and Whitman Houses in Fort Greene, which is supposed to be finished by December 2012, will result in 135 fewer apartments, or 3,366 in total, according to a spokesman for the housing authority. The reduction is occurring, according to the spokesman, because many of the…
The Local reports that NYCHA’s long-running renovation of the Ingersoll and Whitman Houses in Fort Greene, which is supposed to be finished by December 2012, will result in 135 fewer apartments, or 3,366 in total, according to a spokesman for the housing authority. The reduction is occurring, according to the spokesman, because many of the apartments “did not meet standard conditions,” and some were missing kitchens or complete bathrooms. Hundreds of the complexes’ units have been vacated over the past several years, and more than a thousand families have been relocated. NYCHA couldn’t say exactly how many apartments were currently vacant, though the article says there were 411 empty units in Ingersoll that were being renovated as of late in April.
Renovations Update: Whitman and Ingersoll To Reduce Units [The Local]
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I never understood why they don’t put attractive 6-foot fencing around these complexes, with limited entry points and security booths. Guests would have to sign in and be verified by the apartment occupant. Crime would fall 90% because you couldn’t “escape” from the complex very easily.
Oh well, what do I know?
no one is “herded into” the projects. you do know how ginormous the waiting list IS for the projects, right!?
*rob*
Rob I can blame poor urban design and poor economics for a bad situation, and it sucks that our poor neighbors are herded into instant ghettos where they are de-incentivized to leave.
quote:
the design which kills neighborhoods and prevents any economic bridging. The tower in the park model is so broken
uh… no. there are tons of ‘towers in the park’ complexes that work great. see: stuy town, silver towers in NYU-ville, and many others around the city. you can’t blame architecture for peoples poor choices in life.
*rob*
The projects themselves aren’t the problem, it’s the screening and enforcement and attitude of expectation not to mention the design which kills neighborhoods and prevents any economic bridging. The tower in the park model is so broken, and the maintence and upkeep is going to kill the city.
Rob is right and I’m glad this is something he is passionate about.
My guess , living in Fort Greene and following this when it wasn’t even a “story”, is that they are shifting people around within the complex so that one or two buildings on the periphery are empty, then are taken down, and the land sold for another hi-rise. The main NYCHA projects in Fort Greene going to the Navy Yard and so-called Vinegar Hill are sitting on “valuable” land. There are some spectacular skyline views awaiting any developer who can nab a piece of these projects.
And I’m sure the City will argue that the (I’ll guess…I’m not sure) fifteen million dollars they get for a parcel will be much needed money to renovate and upgrade existing NYCHA units.
I have one questions: why were apartments “missing kitchens” and some not have complete bathrooms? How does this happen? Some tenant removed a kitchen? Or, did the City just let the apartments degrade to the point that a tub, a stove or a kitchen sink no longer worked? This all sounds very strange to me that it would get to that point. Unless they need to redo all the plumbing for the entire building, you would think the renovations would could be MUCH speedier.
And why, when the renovations are finished will there be 135 fewer apartments? Are they consolidated apartments into bigger units?
Lafayette Gardens, my local Housing Project, is not very noisy, but there is too much gunplay. Just this week someone fired a gun as I got off the Classon Ave. subway.
I agree that Section 8 can have that effect, but remember the subsidy still needed as many single mothers can’t even afford the 400/month but agreed it distorts market
some of you may know that these buildings were originally built as housing for the Navy during and after World war 2- so they were built without kitchens since the personnel would eat at the base. They have been substandard since then,,,,