Housing Starts: Density Won’t Spur Developers I ‘Nope’ for Zoning Changes I Preserving Harlem’s Affordable Housing

Image Credit: Aaron Fisher

1. Density Won’t Spur Developers to Build in Low-Rent Areas In low-rent neighborhoods where the city is planning rezonings to allow developers to build taller towers, the math won’t pencil out without government subsidies, according to a report by the NYU Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy. The city has proposed changing the zoning laws in neighborhoods including East New York, East Harlem and Cromwell-Jerome in the Bronx to allow for more density and spur development of affordable housing. [The Real Deal – 03/26/15]
2. ‘Nope!’ is the Word at Scope Meeting for Proposed Zoning Changes Community board members, politicians and preservationists came together at City Hall Wednesday to slam a zoning proposal that they said would wipe away years of determined work by the Village and Chelsea communities to keep development in check and maintain the historic fabric of their neighborhoods. The Department of City Planning held a public scoping meeting on March 25 to consider what matters should be covered in an Environment Impact Statement, or E.I.S. — a preliminary step to enact Mayor Bill de Blasio’s citywide rezoning proposal, known as ‘Housing New York: Zoning for Quality and Affordability.’ [The Villager – 03/26/15]
3. Housing Advocates Say Harlem Must Preserve Affordable Housing In June, a review of New York State’s rent control laws will affect the fate of thousands of Harlem families living in rent-controlled apartments, lawyers say. Harlem housing advocates said they would like the review to strengthen rent control laws to preserve existing affordable housing rather than build new affordable units.  Advocates and lawyers said they would like lawmakers to stop landlords from removing rent controls on their units and increase oversight of developers who claim tax exemptions for their often dubious promises to build new affordable units in the neighborhood. [Columbia Spectator – 03/26/15]
4. NYC Mayor Faces Tough Market for Affordable Housing For more than 40 years, Sheryl Morse has watched the fortunes of her Fort Greene Brooklyn neighborhood ebb and flow, from the crime-filled 1980s to the now steadily rising rents of gentrification that threaten to squeeze out long-term residents like her. As the neighborhood transformed into a hipster hub of trendy coffee shops and organic bistros, the residents and their grown children who once called Fort Greene home could no longer afford the rents in the refurbished buildings, she said. Instead, multiple families crammed into too-small homes or simply left for other New York City boroughs or even other states, she said. [USA Today – 03/26/15]
5. City Approved Permits for 20K Units Last Year: Report New York City approved construction on 20,329 residential units across 1,415 buildings last year — representing a huge increase over pre-recession levels, but still not quite enough to meet Mayor Bill De Blasio’s housing goals within 10 years. The total for 2014 is an 11 percent jump over the number of units approved in 2013, and more than three times as many units as the 5,900 that were approved in 2009, according to a New York Building Congress report released today. The city permitted 18,400 units during 2013 and it just over 11,000 in 2012. [The Real Deal – 03/26/15]
6. 55-Unit Williamsburg Affordable Building Rents May Start at $640 a Month A long-awaited South Williamsburg affordable housing development with 55 units may start construction early next year, with tentative rents starting at $640 per month for a studio. The property at 105 S. Fifth St., currently home to a vacant warehouse once used by the Landmarks Preservation Committee to store artifacts, would be demolished to build new, 11-story housing. It would also have more than 1,000 square feet of community space and 3,700 square feet of retail space, both of which will be rented out at market rate for the area, Mario Procida of developer Procida Companies told Community Board 1’s land use committee Tuesday night. [DNAinfo – 03/25/15]
7. Residential Brooklyn Neighborhood Could be Getting More Office Space Downtown Brooklyn is in need of new commercial space and there’s no better time than now to get some on the market, according to a local development corporation. Back in July, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city would consolidate some of its 1.4 million square feet of office space in publicly owned buildings with the aim of eventually freeing up opportunities for private companies wanting to set up shop in the area. Specifically, the administration planned to study buildings such as the 18-story 65 Court St., which houses part of the city’s Department of Education. [Crain’s NY Business – 03/25/15]
8. Key Tool for Low-Income Housing Needs Lawmakers’ Support As lawmakers in Albany negotiate the budget for the coming year, ending New York’s growing housing insecurity crisis by increasing resources for affordable housing should be a top priority. Nearly one-third of New York City renters are housing insecure, spending at least half of their income on rent, according to The Census Bureau’s Housing and Vacancy Survey. That means 600,000 New Yorkers—nearly the population of Boston—are one missed paycheck or one illness away from homelessness. [City Limits – 03/24/15]
9. HPD, HDC, Alembic, SUS and Partners Announce the Start of Construction on a New Supportive Housing Development in Ocean Hill, Brooklyn The New York City Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and New York City Housing Development Corporation (HDC) joined Alembic Community Development, Services for the UnderServed (SUS), and project partners to celebrate the start of construction on Henry Apartments, a two-building, 134-unit supportive housing development in the Ocean Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. Of the total 134 units of affordable housing, 78 units will be set aside for formerly homeless families and individuals. The remaining units will serve extremely low- and low-income individuals and families earning anywhere from $29,400 to $50,340 annually. Residents will have access to on-site supportive services through Services for the UnderServed. [RealEstateRama – 03/24/15]
10. S.F. is Struggling to Make Good on Airbnb Regulation San Francisco’s attempt to legalize the murky realm of Airbnb living in February is already facing its own set of gray-area problems, leading officials to seek new methods of pushing the room-renting company to an officially legal citywide status. The city’s Airbnb law allows San Francisco residents to rent out their homes as long as they live there for at least nine months of the year and register as hosts with the city. One reason for this regulation was to discourage property owners from buying San Francisco property solely to offer short-term rentals. As is the case in cities like Portland and New York, Airbnb rentals highlight citywide affordable housing problems in San Francisco. [Next City – 03/25/15]