Hunters Point South manifests some destiny today; Queensbridge all lit up

Meh, it mainly has effect on that one little corner of the neighborhood, which is pretty isolated. To me its just like Queens South, but more democratic and interesting. It’ll be cool to be able to get to the southern tip down there more easily, anyway.

The best part of HPS is that it is the death knell of industrial uses along the waterfront. Good riddance. LIC will be among the few places in the city where people have unimpeded access to the waterfront.

#1 – I don’t think that anyone differentiates QueensWest and QueensWestSouth. They are effectively the same thing/same area, which is why you are right that this is a huge issue to watch. It will have an enormous impact on real estate considering that you will have a large number of “subsidised” buildings, “projects”, whatever people want to call them in immediate proximity to people buying new condos or existing ones in the area. Anyone who indicates otherwise and that the market will differeintiate between QueensWest as luxury and QueesWestSouth as not is dellusional. People should be all on top of their elected officials on this.

No. 6, desperate times call for desperate measures. If the city doesn’t build new housing for middle-class wage earners — educated people earning up to 150G a year — where will these people go? Bloomberg understands that the health of the city depends on keeping a diverse work force here — i.e., those who aren’t traders, analysts, and project managers. It’s interesting how the condo owners are always the first to champion change in the city, as long as it’s always in their favor. This time, maybe other equally hardworking people in NYC who opted for other meaningful careers will have their chance.

It is ridiculous that the city is going regulate based on income the people who can live at what is one of the most amazing locations in the city. No one should be entitled to live at waterfront property with midtown Manhattan skyline views. The idea that there is no affordable housing in this city for middle income earners is a total myth. There are plenty of good neighborhoods close by in Brooklyn and Queens with lots of housing affordable for people making $80k-$150k a year. #8′s “desperate times” are really desparate selfish panderings for entitlements.

How do they figure $80-150K is middle income? And why are you people freaking out like the ghetto is coming? Most of the ‘transplants’ to LIC in the last few years fall into that bracket as it is, so really it’s just more of the same.

#10, So-called worshipers of the mythical free market and other corporate welfare junkies of every stripe never bitch about government entitlements when they feed the elite wage earners at the taxpayer trough. There have been more than enough giveaways in every form for these people in NYC. So please spare us your talk of “selfish panderings.”

You are also simply wrong when you ignore the fact that it is increasingly more difficult for those earning modest incomes (teachers, nurses, firefighters, cops — all those folks who make your city a safe and better place) to afford to live within a reasonable distance of their jobs.

Unless, in the best spirit of civic mindedness (remember that quaint concept?), you’re willing to cough up more money in taxes to help pay these people a more livable wage they deserve for the work they do for you, then I suggest you get on board and support other efforts to keep them in NYC.

#15, why should those people you categorized (teachers, nurses, firefighters, cops, sanitation workers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc) be shoved into far away ‘affordable neighborhoods’? why should a neighborhood like LIC be only for the rich? If these people (us) are the lifeblood of the city, what’s wrong with a little gov’t intervention to ensure that we too have access. you uber-rich people could not survive a day without the rest of us getting our jobs done.

LIC has always been a middle class neighborhood. Some of you people need to show some compassion. It’s not always about money. Tone down the elitism please.

#17, you are sorely mistaken if you think urban development in the US is the result of a “free market” and government intervention is “Communist.” Zoning, incentives, infrastructure investments, bonuses, and numerous other government interventions promote certain types of development in certain places and prohibit other types in others… designating workforce housing is just as fair game… just as fair game as the government interventions that led to Queens West, and likely more important to the health of the city… with the cost of construction and land, is anyone going to build an “adequate supply of housing” that can be rented/sold at a price that average people can afford?

$100K goes a lot further than those of us making $50k. Sure as hell glad I don’t work 6 days a week, but that’s a tradeoff you decided to make, I guess.

$100K is like more money than I can ever imagine having. Jeezis.

$100k is by no means rich. You can do fairly well in Queens on $100k but you are not considered wealthy.
As for urban planning, I agree that zoning and tax incentives are a valid function of government and city planning. However, rent control and regulation goes too far and is undemocratic. How about working hard to make the money to live where you want, or accepting your means and making the best of it, rather than wanting government to control things so you can live on the waterfront.

blah. $100K gets pissed away in nyc in 6 months by any reasonable person wanting a nice, enjoyable quality of life in the city.

From the EDC website:

Affordable units are targeted to households with incomes between 80% and 165% of the HUD Income Limit, roughly $55,000 – $158,000 for family of four.

I would not qualify for any of these giveaways. I agree a teachers salary is not fair, but they chose that profession knowing that going in and decided to trade quality of life for earning potential. Why should a teacher be rewarded for his/her lifestyle choice, but an analyst be punished? Am I so much better off than a teacher? You either open it to everyone or don’t open it to anyone at all.

I think teachers would be very surprised to learn they receive such preferential treatment, in housing or anything else for that matter. Nothing is farther from the truth. #31, you might want to consider picking on another far less deserving group as an example to illustrate your point.

Seriously, my mind is being completely blown that $100,000 (“six figures”!) is not considered wealthy, affluent, rich, etc. I’m a pauper then.

Experienced NYC public school teachers make $70-$100k per year, depending on number of years in and how much they work. Most deserve every penny, but like everything else, some could be making more doing something else, some are not worth it, and most are doing just as well or better than if they went into another profession. The point is, they shouldn’t, nor should anyone else, receive preferential entitlements from the city to live in highly desirable waterfront property.

As for Brandon – keep working hard buddy, you can do it!

Nice try, but from the New York State Education Dept:
“New York State ranks #3 among the states with an average teacher salary of $55,181″

And again you are wrong in that they should receive subsidized housing on public, not private, property. Buy your own property and build a house if you don’t like it.

or Madison

#41 – not sure if I follow your point. So higher income New Yorkers that work hard should be forced to live out in the boonies where the commute to work adds on to their already long day, just because the are stuck in that grey area where they much too much for government help, but still too little to afford anything nice on their own? Until someone anwsers that question, I will continue to view these programs a misguided and unfair.

Yes, there will be plenty of market apartments, but unfortunately none for me. The developer will look at his books and figure that he needs $xxx to make his desired profit. Since the regulated units can only bring in a fixed amount he has to raise the price on the unregulated units to get to that number, putting the price out of the range for average new yorkers. So you create more regulated housing to solve to problem of afforability, and so on and so one the cycle continues. The only way out of this is to end this silly housing programs which do nothing but artifically inflate prices. Average price would drop across the board making the city much more affordable. Study after study proves this. There are also real life examples of it in Boston. Problem is that our politician know this but pander to those that can’t imagine a world without handouts.

Lets be honest. Greed, limited supply, and high demand is has what caused the high real estate prices, not regulated housing.

I can’t believe that school teachers — who deserve to be venerated and showered with as much cash as portfolio analysts for the work they do and the crap they put up with — are getting beaten up on this thread. The comments stink of ignorance and, I suspect, a whiff of misogyny/racism. If many more white men were in the field, the tone of this “debate” would be a whole lot different.

thank you #48. this whole thread has very classist, racist and misogynistic undertones. everyone is happy that their tax dollars go to making vernon blvd look like an outdoor mall in ohio, but god forbid the middle class get a break.

Any thoughts that eliminating regulated housing would somehow cause the free market to stabilize is very dangerous and purely speculative. The displacment of those who not be able to afford their apartments would be absolutley destuctive to the families, neighborhoods and communities that make nyc what it is.

First of all, a $300,000 one bedroom apartment is not exactly affordable to someone who makes 60K a year. Its possible, don’t get me wrong, but not easily affordable. If this was any other city, I would completely agree with you.

And I’m sorry, but they are entitled to breaks and handouts. They pay taxes just like you. Why should the wealthiest be the only ones to receive these breaks. Rich people comaplaining about the middle class getting an unfair advantage. What’s new.

Interesting reading for anyone so inclinded to learn more facts on the issue:

http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-274.html

What’s wrong with the Cato Institute?

Would you prefer a study funded by Move On.org?

I’m so glad I live in a neighborhood full of self-satisfied rich libertarians.

Any updates from yesterday’s CB2 meeting?