Sarah Solon
Mark’s Winston Griffith’s “Middle-class Manhattanites: An endangered species” runs in AMNY
"This is unacceptable," Mark writes - the "this" of course being potential plans to dismantle Stuyvesant Town/Cooper Village's affordable housing mandate at the bidding of the luxury condo developer willing to pay the highest price. He continues: "The disposition of this real estate will determine for generations whether New York will be the domain of the wealthy, with the poor living at the fringes, or a home to people of all incomes."
"The timing was perfect. The same day the media reported new census figures confirming that Manhattan has the greatest income disparity between the rich and the poor in the country, Metropolitan Life announced it was selling Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, together the largest apartment complex in Manhattan.
Think of it this way: If middle-class Manhattan residents constituted a separate species, they'd be considered endangered. And Stuyvesant/ Cooper -- built in the '40s with an affordable housing mandate and now home to 25,000 residents living in mostly rent stabilized apartments -- would be their game reserve.
Unfortunately, poachers are now peering over the fence. Once sold, Stuyvesant/ Cooper will most likely, over time, be converted to luxury apartments."
Read the rest of the article here.
Sarah Solon: Author Bio | Other Posts
Posted at 11:11 AM, Sep 13, 2006 in
Cities | Community Development | Economic Opportunity | Housing
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