NYC 'inclusionary housing program' - earn $50k/yr or less

[Atlanteax]

http://money.cnn.com/2015/04/21/real_estate/luxury-rental-poor-door/index.html?iid=Lead


A 33-story luxury complex in Manhattan has 55 affordable rentals at below-market rates for those who meet certain income requirements - and a staggering 88,000 applications have been received.

To qualify for below-market rates, tenants cannot earn more than $50,304 a year for a family of four. The top rent for one of the affordable two-bedroom apartments is $1,082 per month.
Meanwhile, there is a seven-bedroom, nine-bath "tower townhome" for sale in the building for $25.7 million.

The building was approved as part of the city's "Inclusionary Housing Program," an effort to mitigate inequality by offering affordable housing in nice areas.
While it's not the only building in the city with a separate entrance for low-income residents, critics call the practice a form of income segregation.

To me, it is a bit ridiculous that it is becoming policy to hive off say 25% of a luxury complex for the 'working poor'.

Why not build an entire building dedicated to affordable housing instead?

Edit: apparently this sort of thing is a 'compromise' in which developers get to knock down buildings dedicated to 'affordable housing', build a new luxury building, make a profit selling portions to the rich, while restoring (or increasing) the amount of space dedicated to 'affordable housing'.

However, in the long-run, it seems that NYC/etc will price themselves out of existence as they ('the rich') *need* the minimum wage workers for it to be a functional city.

[Androidpk]

The rich just need to hold out until robots can take over all the minimum wage type jobs.

[Archigeek]

Mixed income level housing has been around for decades in other cities, it's just not so disparate in most, as it is in NYC. Seattle was doing it when I lived there in the early 90's.

[Frimpleton]

Holy hell, what would you be doing in Manhattan if you're not earning more than 50k a year? That's why Queens exists. It's why Long Island City exists. It's why the Bronx exists. It's why Jersey City exists. To provide someplace to live that isn't Manhattan. Manhattan is a place where you work. Not a place where you live. You can't get a burger for less than 15 bucks in Manhattan. A movie ticket costs $21. I know that this is off the topic of why you posted it, but holy crap. That's insane.

[Tgo01]

Holy hell, what would you be doing in Manhattan if you're not earning more than 50k a year? That's why Queens exists. It's why Long Island City exists. It's why the Bronx exists. It's why Jersey City exists. To provide someplace to live that isn't Manhattan. Manhattan is a place where you work. Not a place where you live. You can't get a burger for less than 15 bucks in Manhattan. A movie ticket costs $21. I know that this is off the topic of why you posted it, but holy crap. That's insane.

This is why fast food workers need at least 15 dollars an hour.

[Frimpleton]

This is why fast food workers need at least 15 dollars an hour.

That's around what they make in Manhattan. Maybe a little lowball. Not for 100% sure on the McDonalds or anything like that, but I know that the waitstaff and cooks and such in Manhattan are pretty darn well compensated. Have to be. Like I said, they don't live there, and with what a metro card costs monthly it's not a job that'd be had by anybody if they weren't bumping the wages up a bit.

[Tgo01]

That's around what they make in Manhattan. Maybe a little lowball. Not for 100% sure on the McDonalds or anything like that, but I know that the waitstaff and cooks and such in Manhattan are pretty darn well compensated. Have to be. Like I said, they don't live there, and with what a metro card costs monthly it's not a job that'd be had by anybody if they weren't bumping the wages up a bit.

I'd be pretty shocked if fast food workers in Manhattan get 15 dollars an hour.

[Frimpleton]

I'd be pretty shocked if fast food workers in Manhattan get 15 dollars an hour.

I can't say for absolute certain in every circumstance. I've only known three people total to work in food service there. One of 'em is my current roommate. He pretty regularly comes home with about 900 dollars in cash in his pocket after a double shift, but I'm sure he's the exception rather than the rule or everybody would be a waiter. Upscale joint. Second one worked at Stardust Diner outside of Times Square. She was what I based that $15 burger and $15/hour mark on, because that's what she was making. Third one I never knew what he made exactly. He was a cook for an Applebees there. It was worth him taking the train every day though, $26 round trip to go there and work, so he wasn't making minimum wage. That's for sure.

[Gelston]

Minimum wage in New York is 8.75 an hour. I'm willing to bet tons of them(fast food workers) make under $15 an hour.

[EasternBrand]

I can't say for absolute certain in every circumstance. I've only known three people total to work in food service there. One of 'em is my current roommate. He pretty regularly comes home with about 900 dollars in cash in his pocket after a double shift, but I'm sure he's the exception rather than the rule or everybody would be a waiter. Upscale joint. Second one worked at Stardust Diner outside of Times Square. She was what I based that $15 burger and $15/hour mark on, because that's what she was making. Third one I never knew what he made exactly. He was a cook for an Applebees there. It was worth him taking the train every day though, $26 round trip to go there and work, so he wasn't making minimum wage. That's for sure.

Stardust Diner isn't a regular NYC diner, it's a tourist restaurant where the waiters sing, dance, and perform routines. It's more of a specialized job than working at an outer borough Greek diner. And a $26 round trip to a line cook job at Applebee's is insane. Either he's got a second job you don't know about, or (more likely) he's saving more than $700 a month living in the suburbs than renting anywhere accessible by the subway.

[Gelston]

Well, and also Applebees isn't fast food. It isn't great food, but it is atleast above McDonalds, which is fast food. Frimpleton's 3 examples were not fast food restaurants. They generally make more, as they should.

[Frimpleton]

Stardust Diner isn't a regular NYC diner, it's a tourist restaurant where the waiters sing, dance, and perform routines. It's more of a specialized job than working at an outer borough Greek diner. And a $26 round trip to a line cook job at Applebee's is insane. Either he's got a second job you don't know about, or (more likely) he's saving more than $700 a month living in the suburbs than renting anywhere accessible by the subway.

Well sure it's not the same in the outer boroughs. I'm just talking about Manhattan. And yeah, Stardust is one of those touristy ones. I'm just saying I really doubt that there are too many people in Manhattan making minimum wage. It just doesn't make sense. You don't live there. You don't drive there. You commute there by subway, or by train, and both of those things are prohibitive to anyone ever working a minimum wage part time job at Wendy's like you'd see in a small town, or even one of the other boroughs. Pretty much ALL of Manhattan is that overpriced, touristy, expensive, go-there-to-visit-but-not-stay parts these days. Who's gonna work that job when they're dropping 1100 plus utilities on rent in Queens and 200 a month for a metro card? Nobody would work at a McDonalds in Manhattan. It'd just end in homelessness.

[EasternBrand]

Well sure it's not the same in the outer boroughs. I'm just talking about Manhattan. And yeah, Stardust is one of those touristy ones. I'm just saying I really doubt that there are too many people in Manhattan making minimum wage. It just doesn't make sense. You don't live there. You don't drive there. You commute there by subway, or by train, and both of those things are prohibitive to anyone ever working a minimum wage part time job at Wendy's like you'd see in a small town, or even one of the other boroughs. Pretty much ALL of Manhattan is that overpriced, touristy, expensive, go-there-to-visit-but-not-stay parts these days. Who's gonna work that job when they're dropping 1100 plus utilities on rent in Queens and 200 a month for a metro card? Nobody would work at a McDonalds in Manhattan. It'd just end in homelessness.

You have a pretty ill-informed view of Manhattan which doesn't take into account, for instance, a sizable amount of public housing. Not to mention rampant illegal subdivisions. Of course there are people making minimum wage in Manhattan. And yes, often people with those jobs are teetering on the brink. But the alternative might just be certain homelessness.

[Frimpleton]

You have a pretty ill-informed view of Manhattan which doesn't take into account, for instance, a sizable amount of public housing. Not to mention rampant illegal subdivisions. Of course there are people making minimum wage in Manhattan. And yes, often people with those jobs are teetering on the brink. But the alternative might just be certain homelessness.

What exactly are we talking about? I'm pretty sure they aren't talking about putting that 33 story luxury apartment building in Chinatown or Harlem. We're talking about places in Manhattan where they would conceivably be building luxury apartment buildings. Like the village, or midtown even. You're right in that I don't really get that far north of 72nd street very often at all, so everything above that isn't something I consider Manhattan, and I'm wrong to do so. But I don't think that's the part of Manhattan this whole deal is going down in, either.